Shari Leidich of Know Brainer shares how she won Natural Products Expo Pitch Slam and how you could too.

Shari Leidich of Know Brainer shares how she won Natural Products Expo Pitch Slam and how you could too. - Max Sweets

Shari Leidich Know BrainerShari Leidich: Since the beginning, I've been wanting to make a collagen marshmallow. I heard people bouncing around the ideas in research and development. I charged my team with the job of creating [this], and we did it! We have the first keto, zero-sugar marshmallow on the market. And we're really, really excited.

What did you find most beneficial about the Pitch Slam experience?

SL: Honing my pitch forced me to really narrow into what Know Brainer does and what we create. You could talk about a lot of stuff, but you're really zeroed in on that elevator pitch. And coming from my background, I never really thought about that. That then helped me talk to industry retailers or whomever and forcing me to do that. [Also], creating the slide deck. I use that slide deck today. So, being more disciplined in my approach to how I approach retailers or distributors.

SL: What we do is make complicated food easy and accessible, and I've always been slightly ahead of the curve. We did ketogenic in 2016. I sort of saw this ketogenic space in wellness, and I decided to get right in on it. I think that was a game-changer.

How has winning the Pitch Slam impacted Know Brainer?

SL: It's validation for what we do, and we didn't just win it [Pitch Slam], we keep winning. We're getting validated in a lot of other venues.

What advice do you have for first-time Pitch Slam applicants?

SL: Take it really seriously. You [New Hope Network] really offer great support.