NASHUA – A Nashua startup business recently took home second place in Nationwide and BlueVine’s Pitch to Win contest.

More than 3,000 small businesses across the country pitched ideas for the competition over the last few months, however Buckle Me Baby Coats, founded by Dahlia Rizk of Londonderry, stood above the rest.

Rizk’s product addresses the seatbelt battles many parents face with their young children during the winter months, as they attempt to take off bulky winter coats to get their children into their car seats safely.

Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advise against letting children wear bulky winter coats in a car seat, as it can make the harness straps too loose on the child, which makes it a safety hazard in a car accident.

Though it may be more safe, it doesn’t make it any easier to get a coat off a cold child.

Rizk herself struggled with getting her own children to take their coats off in the cold weather before getting into their carseats.

“I was really having a hard time taking my daughter’s coat off,” Rizk told The Telegraph last month.

After extensive research, Rizk came up with the Buckle Me Baby Coat, which allows children to sit in their car seat regularly with a warm coat on.

Her coat is designed to open up along the side and shoulder areas so that the buckles can be worn underneath the jacket.

Rizk said she wanted to make the coat as close to feeling like no coat as possible for safety, but warm enough to be worn in the winter.

Rizk also made sure the coats met the standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and American Academy of Pediatrics.

To ensure even more safety, Rizk had the coats crash tested. They also have been evaluated by first responders, EMTs and Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

Two weeks ago, Rizk joined six other finalists for an all-expenses-paid trip to Nationwide’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, where they each presented their business proposals to a panel of judges during the Pitch to Win contest on Oct. 3. This contest was launched in May by Nationwide and a small business company, BlueVine, to recognize National Small Business Week.

The panel of judges included founder and CEO of BlueVine Eyal Lifshitz, Nationwide Chief Customer Advocate Jasmine Green, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, sister of American race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Vice President of Small Commercial and Premium Audit at Nationwide Lisa Gobber.

The seven businesses had a chance to pitch their proposal for a chance at winning $100,000 during the three-day competition. The runner up received $20,000 and third place honoree earned $10,000.

By the end of the competition, it was determined that ActivArmor, a 3D-printed casting and splinting company, won first place, Buckle Me Baby Coats won second place and TITAN Mixer Bottle, a no-battery, no-shake mixer bottle, won third place.

“I was very impressed with the strength, tenacity and passion of the small business owners who participated in today’s pitch event with Nationwide,” Lifshiz said. “Bluevine knows firsthand that capital is often a constraint for small businesses, and I can’t wait to see what ActivArmor, Buckle Me Baby Coats and TITAN Mixer Bottle are able to accomplish with these awards.”

Rizk said the competition was an excellent learning opportunity. During her stay, Rizk was able to get business advice from representatives of larger companies.

“They gave me such great tips on marketing and how to finance. I’ve been trying to stay self-funded as much as I can. They showed all these in-roads that you wouldn’t have thought of that they had access to,” Rizk said.

Though it was a competition, Rizk said she also enjoyed meeting her peers and sharing tips from small business owner to small business owner.

Rizk was excited after learning that she won second place. She plans to use the $20,000 prize to stock her inventory and help create spring and summer product lines.

The demand for Rizk’s product has been soaring. She told The Telegraph last month that the business has been growing much faster than she can keep up with and has grown by 592%.

Grace Pecci may be reached at 603-594-1243 or gpecci@nashuatelegraph.com.

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