hobski (Tala and Fares Habbab) named Crowd’s Choice and Eat Better Today (Troy Robinson) won the Grand Prize at the 13th Annual Crowdfunded Pitch Night. An ongoing partnership between the Tom Tom Foundation and Community Investment Collaborative (CIC), the competition took place on April 22, 2026, at 7pm, at the Irving Theater in The CODE Building, as a part of the Tom Tom Festival. The winners were among twelve (12) local entrepreneurs who delivered rapid-fire three-minute pitches to an enthusiastic live audience.

This year’s event featured a special partnership with Black Ambition, a nonprofit founded by Pharrell Williams that identifies and empowers the next generation of Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. Black Ambition’s Managing Director, Jermeen Sherman, joined the judging panel and contributed an additional $5,000 to the grand prize, bringing the total award to $10,000.

Award Details:

• Crowd’s Choice – $2,540 – hobski (Tala and Fares Habbab): a peer-to-peer platform connecting learners with passionate mentors in their area to guide them through hobbies and skills with personalized, affordable guidance and real-time feedback
• Grand Prize – $10,000 ($5,000 from CIC + $5,000 from Black Ambition) – Eat Better Today (Troy Robinson): a mobile food service tackling food insecurities by combining SNAP benefit accessibility with healthy meal options and using food as medicine

“Black Ambition is committed to equipping underrepresented entrepreneurs with the capital, coaching, and community support they need to build and scale thriving businesses—without interruption. We were proud to sponsor this event and award the $5,000 match grand prize to Troy Robinson, whose work at Eat Better Today is poised to meaningfully transform food accessibility,” said Jermeen Sherman, Managing Director of Black Ambition.

The Crowdfunded Pitch Night, emceed by Steve King, Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Charlottesville, underscored with live music from DJ Double U (Devyn Wildy), gave each finalist a platform to showcase their vision for impacting the Charlottesville region. Audience members invested in these entrepreneurial dreams by purchasing $5 voting tokens, supplementing online donations collected beforehand. These combined contributions became each finalist’s crowdfunded award, with the highest total earning the coveted Crowd’s Choice Award.

“Crowdfunded pitch night was everything we could have hoped for and more! The impact of those 3 minutes on stage created a ripple effect that we felt far beyond that night. We met local experts and entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and stages of experience. We got connected with resources to help support our business, and the best part? The energy of everyone there! Every audience member became part of our journey to bring Hobski to life!” said Tala Habbab, Co-founder of hobski.

A distinguished panel of judges, including Kimberly Sheffield, Executive Director of the Jefferson School Foundation; Christopher Tobey, Owner of Tobey Media and 2024 CFPN Finalist; Deanna McDonald and Paola Covarrubias, Members of Charlottesville Community Food Co-op and 2025 CFPN Grand Prize Winners; and Jermeen Sherman, Managing Director of Black Ambition, chose the 2026 Grand Prize winner based upon an established rubric. Eat Better Today, pitched by Troy Robinson, was named champion.

“The CFPN was bigger than the grand prize for me,” says Troy “Razor” Robinson, 2026 CFPN Grand Prize Winner. “It was validation that the business idea God allowed me to have, I was worthy to bring to it my community,” shares Troy Robinson, Owner of Eat Better Today.

Each finalist walked away with at least $250, plus invaluable exposure, business connections, and potential partnerships. Beyond the financial reward, they’ve joined a supportive entrepreneurial community that will fuel collaboration as they transform their visions into reality. Across all twelve finalists, the Charlottesville community invested a combined $6,030 in crowdfunded voting together with the Grand Prize; the evening delivered more than $16,000 directly to local business builders.

For a recap on the Crowdfunded Pitch Night and other Tom Tom Festival events, please visit www.tomtomfoundation.org/

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ABOUT THE TOM TOM FOUNDATION

The Tom Tom Foundation is a nonprofit organization that celebrates entrepreneurship, culture, and innovation in small cities. Tom Tom’s signature event is a weeklong Festival that takes place in Charlottesville, VA, each April. This cross-disciplinary, multi-venue experience transforms the historic downtown and empowers entrepreneurs, innovators, and civic leaders who are defining the future.

ABOUT COMMUNITY INVESTMENT COLLABORATIVE

Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) with a mission to strengthen the community and contribute to economic development by fueling the success of under-resourced entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, financing, and networking. Based in Charlottesville and serving Central and Southern Virginia, its 16-week Entrepreneur Workshop has over 600 graduates, and more than 250 entrepreneurs have acquired over $5 million through CIC’s microloan program. Learn more about CIC at https://cicville.org.

ABOUT BLACK AMBITION

Black Ambition is a nonprofit founded by Pharrell Williams that identifies Black and Latinx entrepreneurs and equips them with the tools, resources, and access they need to build thriving businesses and career pathways in new industries. Through funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities, Black Ambition is building a more inclusive economy where talent and innovation can flourish regardless of background. Learn more at https://www.blackambition.com.