07/14/2026
I lost my place mid-pitch. Grabbed my phone to find it. And thought… that’s it. I just blew this.
Spoiler: I did not blow it. 🎉
2nd place. $7,000. Key Bank’s inaugural Key 4 Entrepreneurs accelerator program.
Whoa.
Thank you, KeyBank — you didn’t just write a check, you built something that actually sees small business as the heart of this community. I’m genuinely moved that you believed in All Heart Baking Co. And to their partners, the The Lower Hudson Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and St. Thomas Aquinas College — thank you.
To my fellow 12 finalists — every single one of us walked away a winner — with real knowledge AND real money to grow our businesses. How fortunate are we?
The $7,000 is going toward a bigger kitchen space for All Heart Baking Co. (Still searching — so if you know of anything in the area, send it my way!! 🙏)
How did I get here?? And yet, somehow… here we are. Thank you to everyone who has ever bought a cookie, cheered me on, or believed in this little company. This one’s for you.