HOUSTON, Oct. 4, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- SCORE, the nation's largest network of
volunteer business mentors, announced the three winners of its 60th
Anniversary Pitch Competition held on Oct.
3 at Houston Community College –
West Houston. The event was the
last in a series of five nationwide pitch competitions, offering
small business owners the opportunity to showcase their
presentation and selling skills to industry experts, win funding
and gain valuable knowledge and mentorship, all at no cost. More
than 2,200 small business owners applied to participate.
The three winning businesses in the Houston pitch event are:
First Place:
Crystal
Lister – Mommy and Me: The Listers (Cypress, TX)
Mommy and Me: The Listers is dedicated to delivering engaging STEM
education to children and families, especially in underserved
communities. Innovative programs, including interactive workshops
and events, aim to foster curiosity and imagination in young
learners. Their flagship initiative, the STEM Carnival, combines
fun with education and provides hands-on experiences that inspire a
love for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Crystal
earned the top prize of $20,000 for
her pitch. She plans to use her prize to finance the creation of a
mobile classroom to deliver STEM education directly to underserved
communities and expand existing programs. In addition, the funds
will support investments in technology, specialized equipment and
software to improve STEM program delivery and user experience, and
to develop a scalable business model to ensure ongoing support for
educational initiatives in underserved areas.
Second Place:
Khaliah
Guillory – Nap Bar, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Nap Bar offers a unique rest and wellness experience designed to
boost productivity and well-being. Nap Bar provides comfortable,
sustainable sleep suites, including organic mattresses and linens,
within a serene environment. Their services cater to professionals,
entrepreneurs and anyone in need of rest, offering pop-up napping
services, VR experiences, and sleep consultations to help combat
sleep deprivation and improve overall performance.
Khaliah earned $10,000 for her
pitch, which she plans to use toward the expansion of sleep
solutions including the installation of sleep suites in airports,
pop-up sleep pods and development of new products. The fund will
also support brand awareness, resources and marketing to promote
their commitment to wellness and sustainability, as well as
strategic partnerships to scale operations and reach new
markets.
Third Place:
Jacky
Chao - Creator Camp (Katy,
TX)
Creator Camp provides innovative
educational experiences for children aged 6-13, focusing on
creativity and technology. Offering in-person camps in various
locations, participants learn skills in filmmaking, animation,
music production and game development. The program emphasizes
collaboration and hands-on learning, ensuring that kids gain
valuable knowledge in a supportive environment. Jacky
received $5,000 for his pitch. He will use the prize
toward website optimization to further improve user experience,
making it easier for parents to browse and register for camps. The
prize will also go toward marketing initiatives to increase
visibility, attract more participants and expand the camp
programs.
"Congratulations to the winners of our 60th Anniversary Pitch
Competition event in Houston, the
grand finale of our nationwide series," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. "It takes ingenuity, passion and
dedication for small business owners to succeed, and we've seen
those qualities shine throughout this competition again and
again."
As part of the pitch competition, contestants were matched with
one of SCORE's free, expert business mentors to guide them to
prepare and deliver a compelling pitch.
Judging criteria included the effectiveness of the presentation,
brand identification, uniqueness and viability of the product or
service, the thoroughness of the business plan, scalability and any
sustainability or social impact. Financials were also assessed on
overall potential.
Shellie Peters, Head of Benefits
and Charitable Giving at Global Atlantic, said, "Global Atlantic is
honored to be the premier sponsor of SCORE's pitch competition in
Houston. We commend all the
participants for their bold ideas and hard work, and we're excited
to support these local small businesses and entrepreneurs who will
play a crucial role in strengthening Houston's diverse and resilient economy."
The 10 finalists from the Houston event also included:
- David Norec - Fit Lit (McAllen, TX)
- Alexavier Shin - Cleaning SATX, LLC (San Antonio, TX)
- Wendy Dawson - Incuentro
LLC (Houston, TX)
- Chibueze Ihenacho - ARMR
Systems, Inc. (Baltimore, MD)
- Tammy Marshall - La Lueur
Health & Wellness (Desoto,
TX)
- Sergio Espinoza - Manka
Inc. (Lynn, MA)
- Jonathan Cole - Chop Up
Jay, LLC (Houston, TX)
In addition to Houston,
regional contests were held in Los
Angeles on Sept. 26,
Des Moines on Sept. 12 and Philadelphia on Aug.
28. A nationwide virtual competition took place Sept. 17-19. This Houston event marked the final event in the
series. In total, SCORE's 60th Anniversary Pitch
Competition has awarded $175,000 to
15 winning small businesses.
To learn more about SCORE, request a mentor or volunteer to be
one, visit score.org.
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17
million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business.
SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources
and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at
score.org.
Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S.
Small Business Administration.
Media Contact
Maria
Coder, SCORE, 954-379-2115, teamscore@redbanyan.com
For more information or to download photos of the Houston event, click here for the press
kit.
To schedule interviews with winners of the competition,
finalists, mentors, or representatives from SCORE, please contact
teamscore@redbanyan.com.
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SOURCE SCORE