Austin-based, woman-owned good dirt won a total of $20,000 at the eosera Foundation Pitch Competition last week in Fort Worth.

The health-conscious soda company won the Simmons Bank First Place award worth $15,000 as well as the iHeartMedia Peoples’ Choice award worth $5,000, the foundation said.

[Photo: good dirt]

Lynn Callaway founded good dirt after she gave birth to her son and started searching for a way to heal her gut.

“I couldn’t even hold my son sometimes due to the inflammation I was experiencing,” she said in a statement. “My husband and I have a background in urban agriculture. We’re folks who like to forage for mushrooms, and they’re amazing in terms of the impact and benefit on one’s body.”

Lynn Callaway, founder of Good Dirt, shown at right with Eosera CEO, Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, after winning $20,000 for her small business during the Eosera Foundation Pitch Competition [Photo: Jill Johnson]

Callaway said indigenous cultures around the world have been using mushrooms for thousands of years for their health benefits.

“We’re sharing it in a different way—it’s an approachable soda,” she said.

Callaway said the total earnings of $20,000 will go toward helping her company market its product.

Chronic pain relief startup snags 2nd place

The Higginbotham Second Place Award of $10,000 was won by Dr. Meena McCullough, founder of Euless-based Body Spring. McCullough developed PressEX, a revolutionary tool and program for mobilizing fascia for improved movement, flexibility, and chronic pain relief.

McCullough, who suffers from fibromyalgia, developed PressEX to relieve her own pain, as well as the pain of her physical therapy patients. She said her winnings will help her company pay for marketing services.

“My main message is that if you want to stay active as you age, it’s important to keep searching for answers to movement challenges that you have,” she said. “I found mine with PressEX, and I hope other people do too.”

Gluten-free bakery heats up 3rd

[Photo: Sweet Addison]

The Satori Capital Third Place Award worth $5,000 was won by Addison LaBonte, founder of Dallas-based Sweet Addison’s, a gluten-free bakery e-commerce startup.

Like the other finalists, LaBonte’s business was born because she needed to find a solution for her own health problems. A Division 1 soccer player in college and marathon runner, LaBonte said she began experiencing numbness in her legs while running.

“I was diagnosed with compartment syndrome,” LaBonte said, adding that she tried yoga, compression socks, and other alternatives, but nothing brought her relief. “It wasn’t until I became gluten free that I was able to run normally again.”

LaBonte said she has since developed numerous desserts made from wholesome ingredients, without gluten and dairy, that “taste like your favorite local bakery.”

“I was extremely honored and humbled that I was chosen to be a finalist out of 125 applicants,” she said. “The whole competition, start to finish, was very professional, and I’m really happy I was able to be a part of it.”

Fulfilling a vow to pay it forward

Now in its third year, the eosera Foundation said it partners with local organizations to provide thousands of dollars in funding for women-owned, newly founded businesses based in Texas. There were more than 120 qualified entrants this year. Three finalists competed for the top prize in front of a panel of judges at the Kimbell Art Museum, with Kellie Rasberry, co-host of the KHKS 106.1 Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, serving as the emcee.

This year, $35,000 in funding was awarded from Simmons Bank ($15,000), Higginbotham ($10,000), Satori Capital ($5,000), and iHeartImpact ($5,000).

“The pitch competition is my favorite day of the year. I won a pitch competition during the early days of our company, and my business partner, Joe Griffin and I vowed to pay it forward,” eosera CEO Elyse Stoltz Dickerson said in a statement.
“This competition is our way of doing just that, and I couldn’t be more excited about the amazing businesses that presented this year. The energy in the room was so palpable — you could just really feel the excitement. I have no doubt each of these businesses will go on to be successful.”

Community impact and women-led businesses

Lori Baldock, president of Simmons Bank-Fort Worth Market, said her company sponsored this year’s first prize award worth $15,000.

“We know how important funding is when you’re starting a small business, and we can’t wait to see what Lynn Callaway and good dirt accomplish in the coming years,” she said. “It’s very important to us that we give back to small businesses, and we’re happy to support the eosera Foundation in this endeavor.”

Taylor Tomczyszyn, director of iHeartIMPACT, iHeartMedia’s community impact division designed to help corporate brands partner with nonprofits, said this year’s finalists inspired her team.

“We congratulate the eosera Foundation on its continued commitment to supporting women-led small businesses,” she said. “We look forward to following the successes of the entrepreneurs who generously shared their stories and aspirations with us, and we’re grateful to be part of their journey.”

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