COLUMBIA, S.C. (Sept. 3, 2026) – Loan Mantra is excited to announce that Amanda Simeone and her Greenville-based company Rally Higher is the recipient of the She Leads SC $5K Award. Amanda was one of 3 finalists that South Carolinians voted on during the month of May to determine the winner. Amanda received the news at a special reception held by Loan Mantra at Terra Restaurant in West Columbia Sept. 1.
“Women entrepreneurs are building remarkable businesses across South Carolina, but access to capital can still be one of the biggest barriers to taking that next step,” said Raj Tulshan, CEO of Loan Mantra. But Emily Larsen Doxford, VP of Loan Mantra shares they are interested in being part of a greater solution, “The She Leads SC award was created to celebrate women in business and invest in their success. This $5,000 grant represents our belief in Amanda Simeone and what she and other WOSBs are building. We hope her story inspires others to pursue their ideas and believe that their businesses and communities are worth investing in.”
“Winning the Loan Mantra She Leads grant means so much more to me than the $5,000,” said Amanda Simeone founder of Rally Higher. “As an entrepreneur, there are so many moments when you have to believe in your idea before anyone else does. Having Loan Mantra and the She Leads community recognize what I'm building propels me on to reach new heights. I already know exactly how I'm going to put this grant to work, and I'm incredibly excited about what comes next.”
Of the many applicants that applied to the grant award, Amanda and two peers were selected by a panel of judges. The Loan Mantra She Leads SC Award committee judged the initial entries, comprised of female business owners, bankers and financial professionals who selected the 3 finalists based on Community Impact, Feasibility, Innovation & SROI, Video Pitch and Engagement Potential. The finalists were advanced to a round of community voting, and thousands of voters selected her as the winner.
Amanda Simeone and her company Rally Higher created Glucose Melts, patent-pending, fast-dissolving effervescent tablets that begin absorbing glucose through mucosal membranes as they dissolve without chewing, water or waiting. Designed for simplicity, speed and reliability, they represent what Amanda believes to be a genuinely new standard in diabetes emergency care. What’s interesting is, Amanda originally never set out to start a company, she just wanted to find a way to help her mom.
Amanda’s mom lives with Type 1 diabetes and like the estimated 50,000 South Carolinians who share that diagnosis, she navigates the constant, unpredictable risk of hypoglycemia: dangerous drops in blood sugar that can cause seizures, loss of consciousness and worse. Existing solutions like juice boxes, glucose tablets, or even candy can take 15 minutes or more to work. That wait time is dangerous when cognitive function is already impaired. Amanda searched for a solution but couldn’t find one.
She launched her first glucose innovation product as a class project at Miami University's Farmer School of Business, guided it through 500+ customer conversations, entered 7 pitch competitions across the country, and secured funding in 6 of them. Her project became a company called. HERO Glucose. HERO Glucose became Rally Higher. After graduating with a double major in Finance and Entrepreneurship and a minor in Nutrition, she was free to pursue Rally Higher full time.
With the Loan Mantra She Leads SC Grant, she would fund participation in Breakthrough T1D walks across Greenville, Columbia and Charleston this fall, reaching 3,000+ people directly and converting early users into the loyal customer community that will carry Rally Higher forward. Loan Mantra will help invest in Amanda’s success by providing free financial strategy sessions.
The Loan Mantra She Leads SC Grant for $5,000 was designed to provide high-impact seed capital to female entrepreneurs, new women owned businesses, she led start-ups, concepts and mom-driven-mission initiatives who are building businesses that uplift local South Carolina communities. The Loan Mantra She Leads SC Grant committee judged the initial entries, comprised of female business owners, bankers and financial professionals who selected the 3 finalists based on Community Impact, Feasibility, Innovation & SROI, Video Pitch and Engagement Potential.
About Loan Mantra
As a financial ally to businesses of all sizes, Loan Mantra makes commercial lending more simple, transparent and easy through a next generation secure online portal at loanmantra.com. This portal puts more financial opportunities and power in the user’s hand by providing access to more lenders and loan products in one place, and the ability to track loan progress in real time, much like you would track progress on a pizza delivery – from application to approval and delivery of funds.
Loan Mantra’s human expertise, secure technology and painless platform allow borrowers, lenders and partners to fund loans easily and efficiently anytime and anywhere. With more than 100 years of experience, the team at Loan Mantra supports businesses and lenders through every economic cycle.
Loan Mantra provides high-tech tools with a high touch dedicated team of expert advisors to assist businesses through every aspect of the process. We improve the future of human entrepreneurship through best-in-class technology, financial literacy and commitment to equitable market access. We make financing simple, painless and transparent so businesses can grow. Our mantra? Democratized lending for all. Connect with us at www.loanmantra.com.
