Celebrating Kentucky’s Businesswomen of Tomorrow

The Women’s Business Center of Kentucky is proud to celebrate the finalists of our 2025 Emerging Entrepreneur Pitch Competition, hosted in partnership with Women Leading Kentucky. Held at the historic Lyric Theatre in Lexington, the event brought together a passionate community of founders, judges, mentors, and sponsors to champion innovation and elevate women entrepreneurs.

First place was awarded to Madison Bates, founder of RAM Devices

 “Afterwards, I had so many people come up to me and I had women just be like, I was rooting for you and I’m so proud of you. I believe in what you’re doing, and it just fuels me.”

🥇 First place was awarded to Madison Bates, founder of RAM Devices, a wearable tech company focused on stroke rehabilitation and assessment. Inspired by her PhD research at the University of Kentucky, Madison’s devices are designed to improve patient outcomes and help therapists better track recovery. While this wasn’t her first pitch competition, Madison shared that the support and feedback she received from the audience that made this event unforgettable.

Second place went to Krissie Baily, founder of SelfFull 

“[AI] will never replace our occupation, but it will support us in being able to drive higher impact in those conversations.”

🥈 Second place went to Krissie Baily, founder of SelfFull, a B2B SaaS platform using AI to empower coaches and their clients. As a coach and a new mom, Krissie developed the tool to bridge the tech gap in coaching, giving professionals more time to focus on transformational conversations instead of administrative tasks. SelfFull is now live in the Apple App Store.

Third place was awarded to Faraneh Fathi, founder of NeuroVista Innovations 

“[My misdiagnosis] opened my eyes to how hard it can be to get timely, accurate brain imaging—and how much that access can impact someone’s life.”

🥉 Third place was awarded to Faraneh Fathi, founder of NeuroVista Innovations, who turned a personal medical misdiagnosis into purpose-driven innovation. Her company is building the world’s first portable, radiation-free brain imaging device, designed for bedside use in diagnosing strokes, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injuries. Backed by patented technology, Faraneh is launching clinical partnerships and preparing for regulatory milestones.

This event was made possible thanks to our incredible sponsors: Cornett, Harris & Ward, Digital Savvy, and Cultivate Accounting—each of whom contributed to the business packages awarded to our finalists. We would also like to thank Thryv Foundation, Gratz Park Private Wealth, Jubilee Jobs, Traditional Bank, TEAMKentucky, WesBanco, and The Lyric Theatre for their support for this year's competition.

Year after year, we continue to be blown away by the talent, tenacity, and vision of Kentucky’s businesswomen.

Their innovation and courage fuel our mission, and we are honored to stand alongside them, empowering dreams, championing entrepreneurship, and building a stronger Commonwealth through every bold idea.

Whether you're building something brand new or scaling an existing venture, WBC offers no-cost, confidential support to help you move forward. From pitch prep and funding guidance to ongoing mentorship, we’re here for your next step.

📩 Contact us today to get started.