Left to right: Annika Lundstrom, Cherie Turner, and Joanna Shu [Photos: ReMinded/Mommy Scrubs/Cartwheel]

Next month, three women entrepreneurs will pitch their businesses at the fourth eosera Foundation Pitch Competition, seeking an opportunity to transform their businesses with $42,500 in seed funding.

The eosera Foundation Pitch Competition will host a live, “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition Nov. 13 at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Here are the three finalists:

Annika Lundstrom: ReMinded
ReMinded is on a mission to become the leading solution in salivary diagnostics. Now it’s commercializing the first clinical-grade, rapid saliva test that tracks cortisol on demand, unlocking a vital biomarker for psychiatry and behavioral health.

Cherie Turner: Mommy Scrubs
Mommy Scrubs’ goal is simple—to make a woman’s breastfeeding journey at work easier, more dignified, and fully supported. A portion of its profits is donated to Abide Women’s Health Services in Dallas, extending its impact to moms in need.

Joanna Shu: Cartwheel
Cartwheel helps control lice through abrasive, mechanical action, disruption of their outer layer, air-blocking barrier effects, and naturally repellent ingredients—without relying on chemical pesticides.

Eosera said the competition provides female-founded ventures a funding opportunity to support their business.

CEO Elyse Stoltz Dickerson said she knows how vital this funding is. The clinical trial that launched eosera was funded by the proceeds from a pitch competition she won, which she then turned into a multi-million-dollar business.

“Less than 2% of venture capital funding makes it into the pockets of female founders,” Dickerson said. “The pitch competition exists to give women an opportunity for funding that might change the path of their venture, just like it did for me.”

Eosera said that the initial round of the 2025 competition had more than 260 applicants.

To be eligible, each business must be majority female owned, have less than three years in operation, and have a strong pitch to back it.

‘The kind of company we aspire to be’

For Mommy Scrubs CEO Turner, the finalist selection provides more than just a funding opportunity.

“It is such an honor and affirmation that my purpose-driven work with Mommy Scrubs is being seen,” Turner said in a statement. “It validates not just my product, but my mission to empower breastfeeding moms in scrubs to balance work and motherhood with confidence.”

According to eosera, Turner and the other finalists will deliver their respective pitches live in eight minutes or less to a panel of judges from executive leadership in various industries.

The finalists come from a variety of backgrounds and some already have pitch experience.

“Every pitch reinforces why we do this,” Reminded CEO Lundstrom said. “To move one step closer to improving the lives of millions affected by stress-related disorders and cortisol imbalance. Being selected [as a finalist] is another opportunity to show others, especially young women scientists, that you don’t need permission to start.”

The competition allows finalists to win up to two cash prizes. The first-place award offers $30,000, followed by $5,500 for second place and $2,500 for third place.

Audience members are also able to impact the vote, and any finalist can go home with an additional $2,500 if they win the vote for the People’s Choice Award.

Eosera said that the live competition is expected to draw more than 200 guests.

“Elyse and eosera represent the kind of company we aspire to be and our vision of the future,” Cartwheel CEO Shu said. “Winning would be both inspiration and affirmation that we’re on the right path.”

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R E A D   N E X T

This year, the annual pitch competition is open to women entrepreneurs from around the United States who have been in business for three years or less.

Ikeda and Orikeda Trashi took home $12,000 in the Big Idea student competition for Biodelivera, a platform that delivers cancer therapy directly to tumors. In the alumni track, the top prize went to Brice Sokolowski for his sweat-evaporating Vaucluse Backpack Ventilation Gear.

As executive director, Jenny Lewis is the top management leader of the Frisco-based foundation, whose mission is to positively impact the lives of youth, military veterans, and diverse populations by enabling access to PGA of America Golf Professionals, PGA Sections, and the game of golf.

Ikeda and Orikeda Trashi took home $12,000 in the April 16 UT Dallas Big Idea student competition for Biodelivera, a platform that delivers cancer therapy directly to tumors using using “virus-like particles.” In the alumni track, the top prize went to Brice Sokolowski for his sweat-evaporating Vaucluse Backpack Ventilation Gear.

To recognize the foundation’s “record-breaking” support, the hospital at the new Dallas pediatric campus will be named Moody Children’s Hospital upon completion in 2031.