When it comes to performance products, we have the inside line. We size up the best of what’s out there, making bets on small businesses run by women who are not only raising the roof, but their voices too. We’re building a community of women who personally know what it takes to run hard, stand tall, climb high and go deep - and craft accordingly.
When it comes to performance products, we have the inside line. We size up the best of what’s out there, making bets on small businesses run by women who are not only raising the roof, but their voices too. We’re building a community of women who personally know what it takes to run hard, stand tall, climb high and go deep - and craft accordingly.
Co-Founders, CARVE DESIGNS
It all started with a need for a great board short and a rash guard that fit. Surfers and friends turned business partners, Jennifer Hinton and Thayer Sylvester took a conversation from a surf trip and built a brand around it. The perfect balance of fashion and function, Carve Designs delivers gear that keeps up with “real women with real bodies and a real passion for adventure.”
Founder, ALPEN
2023 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Runner, skier, fisherwoman Merrit Geary was tired of feeling like a second thought to gear companies when she was looking for clothing to outfit her outdoors lifestyle. She started Bozeman-based Alpen to build technical clothing that is women-first and planet-first, thoughtfully designed to keep out the elements and keep up with our most ambitious adventures.
Founder, HATCHER PACKS
2023 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
On a mission to empower families with the tools to get outside — mom, nurse practitioner, and ultra-marathoner Jaclyn Thatcher built a diaper bag that could keep up with her active parenting lifestyle. With a slew of elite components and make-it-easier features, Hatcher Packs are designed to maximize every MOMent. Tons of pockets, a detachable soft baby carrier, a reservoir AND water bottle holders, plus a place to hold a laptop, these bags are built to hold up for every adventure.
Founder, BLOQUV
Corina said goodbye to corporate America to pursue her entrepreneurial dream. After a brush with skin cancer she was inspired to create UV clothing that fit her style and sport, as well as her love of the outdoor. Her brainchild BloqUV's understated yet on-point styles deliver UPF protection in colors and cuts that make us look and feel great.
Founder & CEO, HANDFUL
One encounter with Jennifer Ferguson is all it takes to understand her fiery passion for life. A group fitness instructor and busy mom of two young kids, Jennifer couldn't find a bra that could keep up. Named because she is quite the "handful" herself, Handful aims to help women prioritize themselves and their "happy-active" life. Their sports bras are designed by women who have thought of all the details. And, they offer extra support to breast cancer survivors through their Breast Friends Forever program. They've got our backs–and most definitely, our fronts.
Founder, LUME SIX
2022 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Margaux Elliot is an eternal optimist and avid athlete. She’s game for anything, but hopping on her mountain bike and hitting the trails might just be her favorite thing. In 2020 she became the first woman to climb one million feet in a single year – hello quad burn! And what did she think about for those many hours with boobs over bars? Sports bras. After many years of R & D, she created Lume Six — ultra supportive sports bras made for comfort in premium materials and thoughtful features.
Founder, TOUGH CUTIE
2021 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
After years in the women's hiking socks division for another outdoor brand, Brittany Coleman was offended by the lack of interest and shrink-it-and-pink-it attitude toward making socks for women. So she took her design knowledge and set out on her own to make socks meant specifically to fit and support women's feet, adventure after adventure.
Founder, WILD RYE
2019 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Born to provide women with the options they deserve, Wild Rye was built on the belief that better gear for women is both possible and essential. With their collection of mountain-mastering apparel, Cassie takes on the task of building confidence, protecting our play places, and empowering women from the back country to the boardroom - starting with feeling comfortable in our clothes.
Founder, KATHERINE HOMES
Conservationist, musician and protector of the wild. This wild woman merged her love of animals, the environment and art to create a business that donates up to 10% of sales to organizations that protect the Earth. We love her mission so much, it was a no brainer to carry her hats. Oldest piece of gear? Her 15 year old sleeping bag.
Founder, SURFDURT
2023 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
California-lovin SurfDurt founder Maxine Chapman is a passionate advocate of business as a tool for good. When she couldn't find a sunscreen that protected her skin without compromising the planet's delicate ecosystems, she decided to make one. Maxine calls SurfDurt Sunscreen the most "planet-friendly, non-toxic sport sunscreen on the market" 'cause it's built with a super safe sun-blocking zinc, antioxidants, and skin-boosting natural ingredients. It's inspired by the magic of the outdoor places she plays in, and made to last through the toughest adventures.
Founder, SEPTEMBER
2020 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
With over fifteen years of design experience in the outdoor and apparel industries, passionate surfer Erika quickly noticed what was lacking. Timeless, elegant, sustainable surf and swimwear is what SEPTEMBER delivers. Independent and self-funded, focusing on modern simplicity, form, and function, the streamlined silhouettes always put performance first.
Founder, BRONWEN JEWELRY
An Outward Bound instructor turned hand-crafted jeweler. Bronwen began making jewelry out of gortex thread and other materials scavenged from the repair room. Her jewelry, like the women who wear it, is feminine, fierce and made for adventure. And when she’s not riding roughshod over the demands of running a small business, she’s on her favorite ride: a cargo bike (with her 6 year old daughter as the cargo).
Co-Founders, GNARA
Gnara was born after a summer of glacier guiding in Alaska where staying hydrated in subzero temps means freezin’ rears (and worse). Fed up watching male co-workers unzip their flies and pee anywhere, these badass women entrepreneurs built safe-squatting bottoms with a lady-bits-specific zipper so we're covered to answer nature’s call.
Founder, BIVO
2022 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Carina Hamel is a former NCAA nordic skier and endurance aficionado with a passion for product development. Her work has taken her globe-trotting on incredible international adventures - both in the outdoors, and in business. In disbelief about the number of only-plastic water bottles options out there, she broke the mold and made the first stainless steel bottle with a flow-rate fit for cyclists, skiers, and all outdoor enthusiasts.
Co-Founders, VELOROSA
2020 Pitchfest Outdoor Winners
Kim Hopkins and Lisa Carponelli both have a passion for cycling that is undeniable. Unable to find cycling wear that matched their own bright, bold, beautiful take on the sport, they set out to create their own, and Velorosa Cycling was born. They build every design upon the belief that women should do everything BUT blend in. When riding and out in the world, their mix-and-match - made to pop and get the rider noticed - options deliver comfort while making us feel confident.
Founder, KRIMSON KLOVER
Colorado transplant, adventurer and sweater savant, Rhonda Swenson is a former flight attendant and former pro mountain biker who parlayed her love of travel into a mastery of knits and knitting rooms all over the world.
Founder, SKIDA
While she was still in college, Corinne Prevot picked up some patterned stretch fabrics at a small shop in Vermont and made hats for her cross-country ski teammates. The first-run of gear was stretchy and playful, and kept heads warm all winter. More than 14 years after Skida was born, Corinne's collection of technical gear is still wicking, warm, and colorful, and it's all still made in Vermont.
Founder, SKHOOP
Tired of freezing her butt off on sub-zero morning walks with her dog, Sissi Kewenter ripped up her parka and pieced together the first bun-warming, insulated skirt. Her company Skhoop now makes a full line of functional and feminine technical apparel geared toward women who love to get out in the cold.
Founder, CARVE DESIGNS
It all started with a need for a great board short and a rash guard that fit. Surfers and friends turned business partners, Jennifer Hinton and Thayer Sylvester took a conversation from a surf trip and built a brand around it. The perfect balance of fashion and function, Carve Designs delivers gear that keeps up with “real women with real bodies and a real passion for adventure.”
Founder, ALPEN
2023 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Runner, skier, fisherwoman Merrit Geary was tired of feeling like a second thought to gear companies when she was looking for clothing to outfit her outdoors lifestyle. She started Bozeman-based Alpen to build technical clothing that is women-first and planet-first, thoughtfully designed to keep out the elements and keep up with our most ambitious adventures.
Founder, HATCHER PACKS
2023 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
On a mission to empower families with the tools to get outside — mom, nurse practitioner, and ultra-marathoner Jaclyn Thatcher built a diaper bag that could keep up with her active parenting lifestyle. With a slew of elite components and make-it-easier features, Hatcher Packs are designed to maximize every MOMent. Tons of pockets, a detachable soft baby carrier, a reservoir AND water bottle holders, plus a place to hold a laptop, these bags are built to hold up for every adventure.
Founder, BLOQUV
Corina said goodbye to corporate Amercia to pursue her entrepreneurial dream. After a brush with skin cancer she was inspired to create UV clothing that fit her style and sport, as well as her love of the outdoor. Her brainchild BloqUV's understated yet on-point styles deliver UPF protection in colors and cuts that make us look and feel great.
Founder & CEO, HANDFUL
One encounter with Jennifer Ferguson is all it takes to understand her fiery passion for life. A group fitness instructor and busy mom of two young kids, Jennifer couldn't find a bra that could keep up. Named because she is quite the "handful" herself, Handful aims to help women prioritize themselves and their "happy-active" life. Their sports bras are designed by women who have thought of all the details. And, they offer extra support to breast cancer survivors through their Breast Friends Forever program. They've got our backs–and most definitely, our fronts.
Founder, LUME SIX
2022 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Margaux Elliot is an eternal optimist and avid athlete. She’s game for anything, but hopping on her mountain bike and hitting the trails might just be her favorite thing. In 2020 she became the first woman to climb one million feet in a single year – hello quad burn! And what did she think about for those many hours with boobs over bars? Sports bras. After many years of R & D, she created Lume Six — ultra supportive sports bras made for comfort in premium materials and thoughtful features.
Founder, TOUGH CUTIE
2021 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
After years in the women's hiking socks division for another outdoor brand, Brittany Coleman was offended by the lack of interest and shrink-it-and-pink-it attitude toward making socks for women. So she took her design knowledge and set out on her own to make socks meant specifically to fit and support women's feet, adventure after adventure.
Founder, WILD RYE
2019 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Born to provide women with the options they deserve, Wild Rye was built on the belief that better gear for women is both possible and essential. With their collection of mountain-mastering apparel, Cassie takes on the task of building confidence, protecting our play places, and empowering women from the back country to the boardroom - starting with feeling comfortable in our clothes.
Founder, KATHERINE HOMES
Conservationist, musician and protector of the wild. This wild woman merged her love of animals, the environment and art to create a business that donates up to 10% of sales to organizations that protect the Earth. We love her mission so much, it was a no brainer to carry her hats. Oldest piece of gear? Her 15 year old sleeping bag.
Founder, SURFDURT
2023 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
California-lovin SurfDurt founder Maxine Chapman is a passionate advocate of business as a tool for good. When she couldn't find a sunscreen that protected her skin without compromising the planet's delicate ecosystems, she decided to make one. Maxine calls SurfDurt Sunscreen the most "planet-friendly, non-toxic sport sunscreen on the market" 'cause it's built with a super safe sun-blocking zinc, antioxidants, and skin-boosting natural ingredients. It's inspired by the magic of the outdoor places she plays in, and made to last through the toughest adventures.
Founder, SEPTEMBER
2020 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
With over fifteen years of design experience in the outdoor and apparel industries, passionate surfer Erika quickly noticed what was lacking. Timeless, elegant, sustainable surf and swimwear is what SEPTEMBER delivers. Independent and self-funded, focusing on modern simplicity, form, and function, the streamlined silhouettes always put performance first.
Founder, BRONWEN JEWELRY
An Outward Bound instructor turned hand-crafted jeweler. Bronwen began making jewelry out of gortex thread and other materials scavenged from the repair room. Her jewelry, like the women who wear it, is feminine, fierce and made for adventure. And when she’s not riding roughshod over the demands of running a small business, she’s on her favorite ride: a cargo bike (with her 6 year old daughter as the cargo).
Co-Founders, GNARA
Gnara was born after a summer of glacier guiding in Alaska where staying hydrated in subzero temps means freezin’ rears (and worse). Fed up watching male co-workers unzip their flies and pee anywhere, these badass women entrepreneurs built safe-squatting bottoms with a lady-bits-specific zipper so we're covered to answer nature’s call.
Founder, BIVO
2022 Pitchfest Outdoor Winner
Carina Hamel is a former NCAA nordic skier and endurance aficionado with a passion for product development. Her work has taken her globe-trotting on incredible international adventures - both in the outdoors, and in business. In disbelief about the number of only-plastic water bottles options out there, she broke the mold and made the first stainless steel bottle with a flow-rate fit for cyclists, skiers, and all outdoor enthusiasts.
Co-Founders, VELOROSA
2020 Pitchfest Outdoor Winners
Kim Hopkins and Lisa Carponelli both have a passion for cycling that is undeniable. Unable to find cycling wear that matched their own bright, bold, beautiful take on the sport, they set out to create their own, and Velorosa Cycling was born. They build every design upon the belief that women should do everything BUT blend in. When riding and out in the world, their mix-and-match - made to pop and get the rider noticed - options deliver comfort while making us feel confident.
Founder, KRIMSON KLOVER
Colorado transplant, adventurer and sweater savant, Rhonda Swenson is a former flight attendant and former pro mountain biker who parlayed her love of travel into a mastery of knits and knitting rooms all over the world.
Founder, SKIDA
While she was still in college, Corinne Prevot picked up some patterned stretch fabrics at a small shop in Vermont and made hats for her cross-country ski teammates. The first-run of gear was stretchy and playful, and kept heads warm all winter. More than 14 years after Skida was born, Corinne's collection of technical gear is still wicking, warm, and colorful, and it's all still made in Vermont.
Founder, SKHOOP
Tired of freezing her butt off on sub-zero morning walks with her dog, Sissi Kewenter ripped up her parka and pieced together the first bun-warming, insulated skirt. Her company Skhoop now makes a full line of functional and feminine technical apparel geared toward women who love to get out in the cold.