After spending a career in telecommunications, Melissa found herself seeking a career change in the early 2000s. During a visit to Shanghai in 2004 it occurred to her that the beautiful jewelry pieces she found there would sell well on the American market. This prompted her to begin importing fashion products centered around organic gemstones to the US. Over time her business transformed from retail sales to wholesale sales of top quality organic gemstones and beads, developing a clientele through industry trade shows and conventions.

Jesebel specializes in making handcrafted cakes and pastries, each one made from scratch using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her specialty is custom wedding cakes, and during the pandemic she has had success selling smaller versions of her cakes online, as well as a cake-tasting box. Jesebel came to New York City from the Philippines after receiving a culinary degree, and she has now built an increasingly successful business where she hopes to continue making people's milestones and celebrations memorable ones!

Yiva's company creates some of the highest quality bags available in the Bay Area. She started her business in 2011 after working for a large bag design company. She began by making bags in her Alamo Square apartment and she now has her own storefront in the Mission. Her bags are well-known because they are made with custom designed fabrics from California and are assembled in San Francisco.

Mohammed and his business partners started their vegan, customizable soap brand because they were passionate about sustainability. Since appearing on Shark Tank in 2020, they have been able to continue growing their business, streamlining their operations, and providing their customers with products they love, with a unique sliding-scale pricing model.

Tehmina's company is an independent, woman-owned clothing label based in New York City. She is influenced by her South Asian roots and the diversity and creativity of NYC. Using indigenous Pakistani textiles and elements of Pakistani fashion, her company create handmade pieces that are unique, versatile, and ageless.

Tiffany has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and never wanted to have a corporate job long term. She started this business to sell snacks that are healthy and tasty. She learned about logistics and supply chain as well as startup operations from her past experiences, which has helped her business immensely in its early stage. Her goal is to eventually build a network of farmers that will supply the fruit to the manufacturing factories and sell the snacks worldwide.

Ruby created a business because she was trying to convince her mother to try kombucha to help with her digestive concerns. Her mother is a lover of popsicles, but has sensitive teeth, so Ruby designed a new shape and style to provide the positive probiotic effects of kombucha in a fun delicious fashion that presents a new way to eat a popsicle and take in kombucha. She has been blowing up on Instagram and is scaling.