Fort Worth's Eosera Foundation Announces Third Annual Pitch Competition

The Fort Worth-based Eosera Foundation has announced its third annual pitch competition, calling it “a dynamic platform aimed at propelling female-led businesses in Texas to new levels.”

The competition is open to Texas-based women entrepreneurs with businesses that are less than three years old. The pitch finale event will be held on November 12 at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, with three finalists competing for $35,000 in prizes.

The foundation said the initiative was inspired by CEO Elyse Stoltz Dickerson’s own entrepreneurial journey and seeks to provide crucial seed funding and exposure to innovative women-owned startups in a landscape where funding still predominantly goes to men.

Ear-care brand Eosera was founded by Stoltz Dickerson in 2015. The company is a provider of ear drops for temporary pain relief), fast-acting earwax removal, and itchy ear spray.

“We believe that when women are given equal opportunities in business, they bring fresh perspectives and groundbreaking solutions to the table,” Stoltz Dickerson said in statement. She left her corporate job in the pharmaceutical industry to found Eosera. “This competition is our way of paying it forward and nurturing the next generation of female business leaders in Texas.”

Stoltz Dickerson got a startup 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 said.

Details on the pitch competition

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.

Here are important dates for the competition:

Application Opens: Aug. 1
Application Closes: Sept. 1
Finalists Announced: Oct. 18
Pitch Finale Event: Nov. 12, 6-8 PM @ Kimbell Art Museum

Three finalists 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, the foundation said.

Game-changing benefits

In 2023, the competition’s winning startup was Audiolo, a first-of-its-kind web application that automates audio-asset management for animation studios such as Netflix, Sony, and Nickelodeon, accelerating the entire production pipeline and saving studios millions of dollars per show.

Audiolo founder Sarah Morgan called the Eosera pitch competition “a pivotal moment” in her journey as a founder, adding that the contest was of far more value beyond the “incredible” thrill of winning the top prize.

“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,” Morgan said. “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 offered 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,” she said.