From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

MAINE — When Kate McAleer pitches her business, she tries to get into the minds of the investors.

She knows they’re looking for a return on investment. They want to see a detailed, strategic plan and how far their money is going to go. It doesn’t matter how genius your idea: If you don’t have all that in your pitch, you’re going to fall flat.

McAleer had all that in mind when she went in for the final pitch for a $100,000 investment from the Tory Burch Foundation — presenting before Tory Burch herself, as well as Ellevest CEO Sallie Krawcheck, Glamour Editor-in-ChiefCindi Leive and venture capitalist William Crowder .

And she won.

McAleer, 28, and her organic candy bar company, Bixby & Co, beat out nine other entrepreneurs in the inaugural competition. McAleer founded the Rockland, Maine-based company in 2011 and now sells Bixby Bars in more than 1,000 stores nationwide. Bixby & Co. is in 60 percent of Whole Foods locations and all of Sprouts Farmers Market stores.

“I think [the judges] saw I was already on a trajectory,” McAleer told Bizwomen.

Since launching her company, McAleer has taken time to perfect her pitch. She was accepted into the Top Gun accelerator program from the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development in 2014 and learned how to communicate her business concept in a way that would resonate with investors.

“When people are looking to invest money, if you think about their mindset, they’re looking for a return on their investment,” McAleer said. “You have to show that influx of capital is going to have immediate effect.”

The practice paid off: She won a $30,000 prize from Gorham Savings Bank’s LaunchPad pitch competition in 2014, eclipsing 130 other applicants. McAleer said she’s the only woman to have won the competition to date.

“That was a tough competition,” she said. “A lot of times you’re put up against so many different kinds of sectors, so to stand out as a food company is really exciting.”

International pitch coach Beth Susanne said preparation and practice is the key to a successful pitch. If you know your business strategy and product inside and out, you’ll be able to handle any curve balls that investors may throw, Susanne said.

“The first line of defense is to understand what could possibly happen and be prepared for the unknown,” she said.

A longtime natural foods consumer, McAleer first started researching healthier food options when her mother went through breast cancer treatment. Then, while playing on the varsity golf team during her undergrad career at New York University, she noticed how many candy bars were offered to players without any nutritious alternatives.

McAleer studied pastry arts and culinary management at the Institute of Culinary Education following NYU and decided to tackle the chocolate bar industry.

“I really saw the void in the candy market,” she said. “I will say that we’ve been really progressive.”

Bixby Bars, which are manufactured in Maine, have three to five grams of protein, about four times less sugar than the average chocolate bar and come in vegan and gluten-free options. McAleer plans to use the investment from the Tory Burch Foundation to roll out Bixby Bites, small nuggets of Bixby’s Nutty for You and Nutty for Me flavor combinations of chocolate, crunchy peanut butter and sea salt.

McAleer is also flying high from the experience as a fellowship finalist. Before the pitch competition on June 9, she and the other finalists traveled to New York for a series of workshops and a tour of the Tory Burch headquarters.

“They treated us like rock stars,” McAleer said. “It was empowering to see such a large company offer reach and access to small women-owned businesses.”

McAleer also had the chance to attend the United State of Women Summit this week on behalf of the Tory Burch Foundation, which brought all 30 of the program finalists to the event. Meeting and listening to so many influential women was a moving experience, McAleer said, and she’s got a notebook full of notes to sift through in the coming days.

“I’m left with tremendous hope and inspiration to forge ahead with my dreams and goals,” she said.