{"id":273638,"date":"2026-04-30T22:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/273638\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T22:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:53:12","slug":"dotted-takes-big-win-at-united-way-of-metro-dallas-2026-pitch-competition-dallas-innovates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/273638\/","title":{"rendered":"Dotted Takes Big Win at United\u00a0Way of\u00a0Metro Dallas’ 2026\u00a0Pitch Competition \u00bb Dallas Innovates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dotted\u2014a Dallas-based platform offering a reproductive health app for logging cycles and managing conditions like endometriosis and PCOS\u2014took home the big prize Wednesday at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas\u2019 2026 \u201cThe Pitch,\u201d North Texas\u2019 premier social innovation competition.<\/p>\n

Held at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, the competition awarded a total of $270,000 in funding to support five visionary social entrepreneurs dedicated to improving access to education, health, and income in North Texas.<\/p>\n

Dotted named Social Innovator of the Year
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Dotted\u2019s founder and CEO, Dejanae Parkman, gets a winning embrace at last night\u2019s The Pitch. [Photo: United Way of Metropolitan Dallas]<\/p>\n

After a series of live pitches and Q&A sessions Wednesday evening, Dotted was named Social Innovator of the Year, earning a total of $115,000 in prize funding, including $60,000 for the top honor,\u00a0to expand and accelerate its impact across North Texas.<\/p>\n

The award recognized Dotted for its work to transform women\u2019s healthcare by expanding access to trusted resources and qualified medical professionals through its digital platform.<\/p>\n

Dotted was founded by CEO Dejanae Parkman, who developed the startup\u2019s app after being frustrated that conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can take years to be diagnosed. According to United Way, she plans to use her platform to provide period tracking, education, and access to trusted medical professionals to millions of women across the U.S.<\/p>\n

Dotted does more than offer its proactive health app for women\u2014it also sells reusable period underwear made from bamboo fibers.<\/p>\n

Showcasing the power of \u2018bold ideas\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pitch continues to showcase the power of bold ideas to drive meaningful change across North Texas,\u201d said Jennifer Sampson, McDermott-Templeton President and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of this year\u2019s finalists demonstrated extraordinary vision and commitment to addressing our community\u2019s most pressing challenges,\u201d Sampson added in a statement. While we celebrate tonight\u2019s winners, the true impact will be felt in the lives improved through these innovative solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional awards presented during The Pitch included, per United Way:<\/p>\n

The $30,000 Audience Choice Award, presented by Sara and Gary Ahr, was awarded to Dotted, as determined by votes from audience members in attendance.<\/p>\n

The $20,000 Innovation Award, sponsored by Vistra, was awarded to Dallas-based Cooking for the Crowd, which provides affordable, nutritious meals to nonprofit organizations, freeing up resources to advance core missions. This award recognizes the finalist with the highest innovation score, as determined by the judges.<\/p>\n

The $20,000 Impact Award, sponsored by Goldman Sachs, was awarded to Dallas-based From Ordinary to Extraordinary. This award recognizes the finalist with the strongest potential for measurable community impact. From Ordinary to Extraordinary equips domestic violence survivors with career training to build stability.<\/p>\n

The $15,000 Presentation Prize, sponsored by LBK Roofing, was awarded to From Ordinary to Extraordinary for excellence in storytelling and delivery.<\/p>\n

Other finalists at the event included #TeenWritersProject, which equips teen writers with workshops, publishing opportunities and paid internships that help them write, publish and earn; and Restorative Farms, which creates farms on unused tracks of urban land, improving food access and economic opportunities through training and employment in agriculture in underserved areas.<\/p>\n

All five finalists received an Accelerator Prize of $25,000 sponsored by March Tocqueville Fellows, in recognition of their participation in the Social Innovation Accelerator.<\/p>\n

Supporting and scaling social innovation\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pitch is the culminating event of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas\u2019 Social Innovation Accelerator, a program designed to identify, support, and scale innovative solutions that improve access to education, income, and health across North Texas, the nonprofit said.<\/p>\n

Each year, selected fellows participate in an intensive development experience that includes seed funding, mentorship, and strategic guidance. From each cohort, five finalists are chosen to present at The Pitch.<\/p>\n

Since its 2013 launch, United Way\u2019s Social Innovation Accelerator has supported the development of 103 social entrepreneurs, empowering their organizations to raise nearly $80 million and positively impact more than 579,000 North Texans, deepening impact across the region.<\/p>\n

Judging The Pitch<\/p>\n

During last evening\u2019s event, each finalist delivered a live pitch followed by a Q&A session with judges. Finalists were evaluated based on innovation, equity, impact, sustainability, and presentation.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s judging panel included Scott Mueller, Head of the Southwest Region for Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs; Kit Collins, SVP and Territory Sales Executive, Treasury Management, PNC; Mahiri Takai, Brand Strategist and Host of Cook Dad Cook;\u00a0Amber Venz Box, Co-Founder & President of LTK; and Cheri Norris, Founder & CEO of Cornbread Hustle.<\/p>\n

The event was presented by sponsor Goldman Sachs and powered by PNC, as well as Sara & Gary Ahr, Vistra, Fossil Group, Toyota, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, and EY.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss what\u2019s next. Subscribe\u00a0to\u00a0Dallas\u00a0Innovates.<\/p>\n

Track Dallas-Fort Worth\u2019s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tR E A D\u00a0\u00a0 N E X T\t<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch.\u00a0Here are our editors’ picks. Plus, you’ll find more selections to “save the date.”<\/p>\n

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Nine student and alumni teams made the finals in three tracks: undergraduate, graduate student, and alumni. Winning ideas ranged from AI sales coaching to radiation mapping and noninvasive brain drug delivery as the university\u2019s entrepreneurship push continues to scale.<\/p>\n

\t\"Social<\/a><\/p>\n

Creatives Care Dallas brings virtual care, behavioral health, 2,000+ medications with zero copay, and more to Dallas County’s gig workers. The community initiative is powered by Arete Health Shield in partnership with the Dallas Music Office.<\/p>\n

\t\"nominate<\/a><\/p>\n

D CEO and Dallas Innovates have expanded The Innovation Awards 2026 with more individual and company categories this year. Now is your chance to be part of the region\u2019s defining recognition for innovators.<\/p>\n

\t\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

A familiar figure in Dallas arts, civic innovation, and public service, Cuellar will succeed longtime CEO Tony Fleo following a months-long search as Social Venture Partners Dallas plans its next 25 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dotted\u2014a Dallas-based platform offering a reproductive health app for logging cycles and managing conditions like endometriosis and PCOS\u2014took…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103,101452,27917],"class_list":["post-273638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-the-pitch-competition","tag-united-way-of-metropolitan-dallas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}