Boozy Bites—the world’s “first premium edible cocktail” featuring a proprietary vegan and wine-based gel in a patented push-up cup—took home the top prize of $10,000 at EOSERA’s inaugural EmpowHERment Pitch Competition in Fort Worth Thursday.
The three finalists—narrowed down from 10 semifinalists—took the stage at the UNT Health Science Center Next Offices in Fort Worth.
Boozy Bites founder Dee Dee Bryant competed against two other women-led companies: Heralogie, a company that offers “unparalleled comfort, security, and peace of mind with their unique, tree-based, breathable period panties that mold to your body”; and PWR WMN, which makes blazers with pockets that are functional and feminine and which won the $2,500 people’s choice award.
Walking the talk
“You’re inspiring other women entrepreneurs to get out there and believe in themselves,” EOSERA CEO Elyse Stoltz Dickerson said to the three pitching founders. “That’s no small thing.”
The Fort Worth biotech aimed to highlight female founders during Global Entrepreneurship Week in Panther City with its inaugural EmpowHERment Pitch Competition.
The female-led biotech company, which develops innovative products for the ear care space, plans to make the pitch competition an annual part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Judging the pitches
Stephanie Hicks, Abe Minkara, and Karen Noseff Aldridge were judges for the pitch. All three are deeply involved in the ecosystem:
Hicks is Worldwide New Products and Portfolio Strategy Director at Novartis.
Minkara is the founding partner of Legacy Knight, a multi-family office that provides exclusive investment access and tailored advisory services to ultra-high net worth families and family offices.
Noseff Aldridge, who founded Rebel Athletic in 2013, “dominates the all-star cheerleading apparel market” and has expanded into dance and athletic wear.
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R E A D N E X T
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Three finalists will be picked to pitch during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November. The EmpowHERment Pitch Competition is hosted by Fort Worth biotech EOSERA, along with partners Simmons Bank, Satori Capital, Fort Worth Report, Tech Fort Worth, and UNT Health Science Center.
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Five organizations took the stage last night at the sixth annual The Pitch competition, after honing their skills through the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ Social Innovation Accelerator program. Here's who pitched, who won what, and why it matters to the communities these innovators are striving to serve.
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The last day of Dallas Startup Week offered a competitive edge—the Capital One Accelerator Pitch Competition. Eight startups from across the U.S. who'd completed the accelerator program took part. The big winner: Autix, which won the CodeLaunch DFW pitch competition just last November. Taking second place was California-based nonprofit-branded credit card startup Higher Rewards, while the Crowd Favorite prize went to Atlanta's Simple Money Academy.
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$61,000 in total MavPitch Award funding was awarded to the startups, which include a maker of 3D-printed homes, a designer of hydrogen-powered drones that can fly for six hours; an after-school day care service that focuses on technology overuse by kids, and more.
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The fourth annual Black Girl Magic Summit—presented by Dallas-based Boss Women Media and Capital One—was released as a video experience on Amazon's Prime Video Saturday. Here's a look at the winners of its pitch competition, from a Creole fusion-inspired founder to moms who actually get real about motherhood to a woman who's juicing her way to success. The winners had lots of competition. This year's contest had 10,033 entrants nationwide—almost double the number from 2021.
