Local husband-and-wife team to represent CFCC in statewide competition

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A husband-and-wife team from the Cape Fear area will represent Cape Fear Community College’s Small Business Center in a new statewide entrepreneurship competition.

Anna Barrett and Kevin Roberts, founders of CakeBelle, were selected to compete in the inaugural Small Business Center Network Startup Showdown. The competition will feature 17 entrepreneurs from across North Carolina competing for a share of $60,000 in startup funding. The first-place winner will receive $30,000.

CakeBelle is a patent-pending cake-serving tool developed by Barrett and Roberts. According to CFCC, the couple has worked with the college’s Small Business Center and its director, Jerry Coleman, while developing the business.

The CakeBelle team will pitch its product to a panel of judges as part of the competition. The pitch will be recorded and released for statewide public voting beginning Sept. 1. Public votes will count toward each competitor’s final score.

“When we stand on that stage, it won’t just be CakeBelle,” Roberts said in a statement. “We’ll be representing Cape Fear Community College, our mentors, our advisors, and everyone throughout the Cape Fear region who has believed in us and helped turn this dream into a reality.”

CFCC’s Small Business Center provides education, mentorship and other resources for local entrepreneurs. The college serves New Hanover and Pender counties.