By Sara Gilgore

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This year, Georgetown University’s Bark Tank pitch competition came with a twist: a three-way tie.

So Ted Leonsis, founder and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, added $55,000 to the $100,000 Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship prize. It comes amid a regional push for greater investment in early-stage startups and as Greater Washington sees an increased interest in social impact investing …

KnoNap

What it does: The company, whose cocktail napkin detects the presence of date-rape drugs, has been growing and garnering attention since Sherman launched it in 2017.

How it’s going: The George Washington University graduate, now a Georgetown University MBA candidate, is an alum of D.C.’s Halcyon Incubator, the Minneapolis-based Target (NYSE: TGT) Incubator and others, and was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of 2020 for social entrepreneurship. The winnings from this competition would help the company get its product on the market and to the consumer, Sherman said. The business has been funded with hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money and pitch competition awards, and plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in fall 2021.

What she said: “I am so grateful to leave the competition with capital that will support our efforts in combating drug facilitated sexual assault and crime, as well as connections that will continue to enrich my professional pursuits. Words of gratitude alone are not enough to thank the Leonsis family for their support and for this amazing opportunity.”