The Last Word: T.D. Jakes Enterprises COO on $500K Pitch Competition at Good Soil Forum in Dallas

“This competition is more than just a platform for pitching business ideas—it’s a catalyst for change and a powerful vehicle for empowering underserved entrepreneurs.”

Michael Phillips
Chief Operating Officer
T.D. Jakes Enterprises
.…on the $500,000 Seed Capital Pitch Competition to be held during the June 13-15 Good Soil Forum event in Dallas.

Michael Phillips, COO of T.D. Jakes Enterprises [Photo: T.D. Jakes Enterprises]

Dallas-based social impact holding company T.D. Jakes Enterprises will be giving minority small business owners and entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for grants totaling $500,000 during its 2nd Annual Seed Capital Pitch Competition, to be held June 13-15 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in downtown Dallas.

Wells Fargo is the presenting sponsor of the “Shark Tank”-style competition, which supports the entrepreneurs “by enhancing their skills in crafting investable business plans and impactful pitches.”

“We encourage minority small business owners and entrepreneurs to seize this moment to compete for a share of the $500,000 prize pool, with a $200,000 grand prize,” Phillips added in a statement. “This is a transformative opportunity to drive economic mobility and create generational wealth for communities.”

This year’s competition doubles the $250,000 total amount awarded at the 2023 event. 

“We know that small businesses and entrepreneurs are a vital part of our economic ecosystem and supporting their growth is more critical now more than ever,” Michael Martino, head of Consumer, Small and Business Banking, Diverse Customer Segments, at Wells Fargo, said in a statement. “Wells Fargo is excited to partner with T.D. Jakes Enterprises to accelerate access to capital for small businesses, especially Black and African American entrepreneurs and other minority-owned businesses.”

You can read more about the Good Soil Forum and the competition in our April story.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

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