Paden Sickles and her company, SickFit, were awarded the $10,000 top prize recently at the HerGenius Pitch Competition hosted by Impact Ventures. SickFit was cited for “revolutionizing compression technology for athletes, medical patients, and military personnel.”

The event, held March 25 at the Alexander Mansion, celebrated women entrepreneurs who are leading the charge in innovation and business excellence, Impact Ventures said. The competition provided a platform for women founders to pitch their businesses to a panel of esteemed judges, investors, and industry leaders.

“The HerGenius Pitch Competition came out of a need to increase the representation of women within our accelerator participants. In the last three years IV went from just 30% women to now 80+% women being represented in our flagship programs,” Impact Ventures founder and CEO Benjamin Vann said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the incredible talent and resilience of women entrepreneurs in our communities solving critical problems and building the businesses of tomorrow.”

The event brought together an audience of entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate partners eager to support women-led enterprises, Impact Ventures said. It featured a diverse lineup of finalists from various industries, including technology, healthcare, consumer goods, and social impact. These visionary founders delivered compelling pitches, showcasing their groundbreaking solutions to real-world challenges.

A panel of judges—including Marissa Allen, co-founder of Cookie Society;Michelle Williams of Mass Challenge; and Angel Deleon of Texas Bank—evaluated the pitches based on innovation, market potential, and scalability, Impact Ventures said.

HerGenius Pitch results

The 2025 HerGenius Pitch winners brandish their hard-to-misplace checks. [Photo: Marquez Montoya Photography]

The winners were:

• Paden Sickles, SickFit – Awarded $10,000 for revolutionizing compression technology for athletes, medical patients, and military personnel.
• Anna Cobb, Rejuvination – Awarded $5,000 for creating clean, plant-based energy juice that fuels without the crash.
• Yewande Akinse, Salubata – Awarded $2,500 for transforming ocean plastic into sustainable, modular footwear.
• Alyssa Nichols, EunoiaFit – Awarded $1000 for her women-only strength training gym prioritizing women’s health, from fitness to hormonal wellness.

Impact Ventures said the HerGenius Pitch Competition is more than a contest—it’s “a movement to bridge the funding gap for women entrepreneurs and create lasting opportunities for economic empowerment.”

The organization said that by providing access to capital, mentorship, and strategic partnerships, Impact Ventures remains committed to fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem where women thrive.

Sickles said the win is a significant boost for her company.

“When SickFit wins, everyone wins,” she said in a statement. “Taking home the grand prize at the HerGenius Pitch Competition means we get to hire, grow, and keep breaking barriers as a woman- and veteran-owned sock company. Impact Ventures didn’t just invest in a pitch—they invested in people, in purpose, and in what’s possible when you bet on our team.”

This summer, Impact Ventures plans to expand its flagship 16-week Next Wave Accelerator Program to recruit high-caliber founders building in tech and CPG with an emphasis on AI to Dallas-Fort Worth.

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