Kansas City business owner wins Verizon’s live pitch competition timed to World Cup

Liz Benditt scored the final goal Friday, securing victory in a national pitch competition that began with more than 500 contenders before narrowing to a live, Shark Tank-style round in New Jersey ahead of the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.

“It was down to the final four amazing small businesses — people I hope to be lifelong friends with because they are so interesting,” said Benditt, founder of Overland Park-based Balm Box. I’m still in awe and shock that Balm Box came out No. 1. It’s just so exciting.”

In addition to the $20,000 grand prize for winning the inaugural Verizon Small Business Super Pitch competition, Benditt — and the other three finalists — were awarded a 1:1 AI mentorship program to help scale their business, plus two tickets to attend this weekend’s World Cup final.

Liz Benditt, president and CEO of Balm Box and a Verizon Small Business Super Pitch finalist, reacts during the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch final in Hoboken, New Jersey; photo by Adam Hunger/AP Content Services for Verizon Business

The Balm Box founder advanced to Friday’s four-way competition after winning a regional semi-final June 19 in Kansas City.

Click here to read more about Benditt’s journey as a cancer survivor-turned-entrepreneur and her bid for the Verizon pitch title.

She plans to use her winnings to scale her wholesale business line, specifically tied to the brand’s post-op drain holders, which — unlike the typical safety pins sent home with cancer patients after upper body surgeries — allow for much more flexibility and movement.

“We believe that those drain holders should be in every hospital in America and so we are going to invest Verizon’s grant money in building out our wholesale business line,” she said.

Winning entrepreneurs pose with judge and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Carli Lloyd during the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch final; photo by Adam Hunger/AP Content Services for Verizon Business

Friday’s pitches were evaluated by a panel of expert judges, including U.S. soccer legend and entrepreneur Carli Lloyd, AI workforce leader Dee C. Marshall, and local media anchors.

Liz Benditt, Balm Box; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Benditt won over the judges by highlighting how she uses Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready AI tools to advance her business and how she utilizes technology to create custom cancer recovery gift boxes based on input from patients.

Those care boxes are packed with practical items — like game books, scent-free lotion, an anti-nausea acupressure wristband, a seat-belt pillow, a coloring book with pencils, and sweat-free ice packs — to support cancer patients through chemo, radiation, surgery, and recovery.

Free courses through Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready program are open to Benditt’s fellow entrepreneurs, she emphasized.

“It’s incredible what Verizon’s been doing for small businesses. The digital ready platform is an incredible tool,” she said. “I got my MBA over 25 years ago, a lot has changed since then.”

Benditt told Startland News previously that the comprehensive AI toolset was about more than any one lesson or use case for incorporating artificial intelligence into a small business.

“It’s more understanding how the AI brain — for lack of a word — learns, which has given me so much better insight as to how to give better prompts and how to make better use of everything from our Claude subscription,” she said.