Anne Arundel Community College awarded student business owner Julie McVearry $25,000 for her business, M Café Luxe LLC, during the annual Business Pitch Competition on April 28. In total, finalists received $75,000 in funding, with individual awards ranging from $3,000 to $25,000.
Awards included:
“Today's competition is part of AACC's proud tradition of preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Dawn Lindsay, AACC president. “Together, we celebrate the innovation and dedication that drives small businesses, which play such an important role in strengthening our local community.”
Similar to the network show “Shark Tank,” finalists presented a two-minute pitch and answered questions from a panel of judges. They also submitted a business plan and financial projections in their application. The competition was open to all students who took classes between July 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026.
McVearry, a nursing student and working mother of five, plans to use the top award to launch her first mobile café unit. M Café Luxe aims to offer a fast, high-quality alternative to traditional fast food by combining the convenience of a food truck with the feel of a boutique café. She hopes to expand through digital rewards, catering and community events, and eventually add more units.
"It is entrepreneurs who drive our growth, it is our innovation that sustains our progress, and it is our young people who are helping us to constantly reinvent ourselves and build a stronger future,” Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said during the event. “By standing up and by sharing your ideas, you're showing that the future here in Maryland is not one that sits back and waits.”
The judging panel included representatives from SCORE, the Central Maryland Chamber of Commerce, M&T Bank, TEDCO, AutoTag Connect and the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation. Funding for the competition was provided by the Ratcliffe Foundation.
