SCORE Announces Winners of its Small Business Pitch Competition in Houston

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 60^th 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, [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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