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Women-Owned Small Business Pitch Competition

The Beacon State Fund,* in partnership with the Governor's Commission for Women, is hosting a pitch competition and will select an awardee for each region of Texas. The women-owned small business pitch competition is made possible by Sempra’s support of the Beacon State Fund.

Sempra is an energy infrastructure company focused on connecting millions through the power of people, ideas, and innovation. As owners of one of the largest energy networks in North America, more than 40 million consumers rely on Sempra for safe, reliable, and affordable energy.

To qualify for the pitch competition you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  1. Your business is at least 51% owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women.
  2. Your business made $1,000,000 or less in revenue in 2021.
  3. Your business employed 15 or less in 2021.
  4. Your business must be registered in the State of Texas.
  5. Your business must have operated for more than 12 months.

 

Application Process

  1. Completed applications must be submitted** by the July 31, 2022 deadline via the online application form.
  2. Applicants will receive notification via email that the application was received. If you do not receive this notification, please contact us.
  3. Finalists will be selected and notified via email no later than one week prior to the regional webinar event.
  4. Finalists from each region will be invited to present a live pitch to judges on the designated day listed below. Finalists will present immediately following the women-owned business series event.
    • Wednesday August 31, 2022: East Texas
    • Wednesday September 7, 2022: West Texas
    • Wednesday September 14, 2022: North Texas
    • Wednesday September 28, 2022: Central Texas
    • Thursday October 6, 2022: South Texas
  5. Finalists from the South Texas region will be invited to present a live and in-person pitch to judges at the Governor’s Small Business Series – Honoring Women-Owned Businesses. The event is hosted by the Governor’s Commission for Women, Beacon State Fund, and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development & Tourism and will be located in South Padre Island, TX.
  6. Finalists must respond to the notification email in order to secure their place in the live pitch event.
  7. Finalists chosen for the live pitch event will receive further instructions for the day and time of the live pitch.

 

Guidelines and Rules

  1. The application form must be submitted with all required fields completed to be considered for the live pitch event.
  2. In the event that a finalist cannot be present at the live pitch event, an alternate may be selected. The Beacon State Fund and the Commission for Women reserve the right to adjust the number of finalists at any time.
  3. The live pitch event will be recorded and available for replay on the Commission for Women’s website and/or social media platforms.
  4. The winner of the live pitch will be announced upon completion of the three finalists’ pitches and judging.
  5.  The winner must be present to accept the award.

Official Rules

Award: One winner will be chosen from each region of Texas and will receive a $7,000 award from the Beacon State Fund.

Online Pitch Application

*The Beacon State Fund is a 501(c)(3) Texas nonprofit, Tax ID number 74-2786655. The Beacon State Fund works cooperatively with the Governor’s Commission for Women to promote opportunities for and support the successes of Texas women.

**Applications are subject to the Texas Public Information Act (the “Act”). The Office of the Governor (“OOG”), as a state agency, must comply with the Act. Under the Act, any information that the OOG maintains is subject to potential public disclosure if it is responsive to a public information request. The Attorney General of Texas determines what must be disclosed to a requestor if a state agency or a third party asserts exemptions under the Act to prevent the information’s release. In the event that the OOG receives a public information request that implicates your application, the OOG will (i) notify you of the request in a timely manner, and (ii) provide you with full information on how to participate in the process, including the opportunity to assert exemptions under the Act that could prevent the release your application.