On July 16th, area Mississippi founders took the stage in Tupelo to compete in the 2025 edition of The Pitch, an annual business competition hosted by the Community Development Foundation. Each finalist delivered their best pitch to a panel of judges, but Brandi Brown and her company, Gulf Spore, rose to the top.
Gulf Spore is a mushroom biotech company based just outside of Tupelo. It develops innovative mushroom-based products, including natural solutions for fresh food preservation and a line of premium mushroom extracts available for direct delivery to customers.
Brandi’s pitch impressed judges with its vision and viability, earning her the $10,000 grand prize and the spotlight as one of Mississippi’s most exciting early-stage founders.
“We have created innovative products from mushrooms,” Brandi explained in her pitch. “One of ours is for fresh food preservation. We also have America’s best mushroom extracts, where you can go and have them shipped directly to your door.”
Additional Winners:
- SNAP: The Snackcuterie board came in second, claiming a $4,000 prize.
- ReClaim took third place, earning a $2,000 prize.
- TJ’s Animations came in fourth, receiving $1,000.
The Pitch highlights the talent and innovation emerging from Mississippi’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering a platform for founders to share bold ideas and accelerate their growth.
Congratulations to Brandi Brown and Gulf Spore—and kudos to all the finalists who brought their passion and ideas to the stage!
Special thanks to WTVA and reporter Zac Carlisle for their original reporting on the event.
