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FORT WORTH, Texas – In a state ranked fifth best for women-owned startups, the Eosera foundation proudly announces its third annual pitch competition, a dynamic platform designed to propel female-led businesses in Texas to new heights. The competition is open to Texas-based women entrepreneurs with businesses less than three years old.
Elyse Stoltz Dickerson
This initiative, inspired by CEO Elyse Stoltz Dickerson‘s own entrepreneurial journey, aims to provide crucial seed funding and exposure to innovative women-owned startups in a landscape where funding still predominantly goes to men.
“We believe that when women are given equal opportunities in business, they bring fresh perspectives and groundbreaking solutions to the table,” said Stoltz Dickerson, who founded Eosera in 2015 after leaving her corporate job in the pharmaceutical industry. “This competition is our way of paying it forward and nurturing the next generation of female business leaders in Texas.”
Stoltz Dickerson got a start-up boost from winning a pitch competition, which she calls her validation moment. “It was the first time someone from the outside said, ‘We believe in you. Go make your dream happen,'” she reflected. Now, her company is giving back by offering a $15,000 first-place prize sponsored by Simmons Bank, and a $10,000 second-place prize sponsored by Higginbotham. Additional partners include iHeartIMPACT, Satori Capital, and TechFW.
Key Dates:
· Application Opens: August 1, 2024
· Application Closes: September 1, 2024
· Finalists Announced: October 18, 2024
· Pitch Finale Event: November 12, 2024, 6-8 PM @ Kimbell Art Museum
Three finalists – all Texas women entrepreneurs — will have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience, showcasing the diversity and ingenuity of women-led enterprises in Texas.
In 2023, the pitch competition-winning company was Audiolo, a first-of-its-kind web application that automates audio-asset management for animation studios like Netflix, Sony, and Nickelodeon, accelerating the entire production pipeline and saving studios millions of dollars per show.
Founder Sarah Morgan, found tremendous value in participating: “Eosera’s pitch competition was a pivotal moment in my founder journey. Winning the grand prize was incredible, but this competition is so much more than that. The entire process, from the essay questions to the application video to the live pitch competition, gave me the most valuable opportunity: sharpening my pitching skills. I have used these skills I gained as I pitch to investors and, most importantly, to my customers! And, of course, winning a $15,000 grant was a game changer for my business, allowing me to continue to build as we prepared to launch our MVP.”
Stoltz Dickerson offers this advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs: “As an entrepreneur, learning to pitch your business is critical to attracting funding. Rarely does an investor notice you’re doing something extraordinary and offer you funding. You have to ask. And you have to tell your story in a way that the investor can see the rewards the journey will bring. You have to truly believe in it, and then ask for the money.”
Eligible entrepreneurs are encouraged to complete the online application by September 1, 2024.
For more information, please contact pitch@eosera.com
