{"id":343220,"date":"2026-06-19T18:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/343220\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T18:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T18:52:16","slug":"oca-foods-entrepreneur-wins-big-with-austin-fcs-dream-starter-presented-by-q2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/343220\/","title":{"rendered":"Oca Foods entrepreneur wins big with Austin FC’s Dream Starter presented by Q2"},"content":{"rendered":"

For six years, Austin FC<\/a> and Q2<\/a> have helped local entrepreneurs turn big ideas into thriving businesses through the annual Dream Starter Competition.<\/a> This year\u2019s grand prize winner is Renato Raposo, founder of Austin-based Oca Foods<\/a>, who walked away with a $100,000 grant to help grow his company. <\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

Images from Q2 Dreamstarter Pitch Competition Event at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday May 27, 2026. (Photo by JJ Moothart\/Austin FC)<\/p>\n

Raposo and Q2’s<\/a> Abeer Thomson joined Trevor Scott to share more about this annual initiative and how it impacts local entrepreneurial efforts.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s grand prize winner is Renato Raposo, founder of Austin-based Oca Foods, who walked away with a $100,000 grant to help grow his company.<\/p>\n

The competition supports entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities and aligns with Q2\u2019s mission of building strong and diverse communities through financial empowerment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide a $100,000 grant to a Central Texas entrepreneur,\u201d said Q2\u2019s AbeerThomson. \u201cWe really saw that in Oca and believed it aligned with our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Local Product With a Big Story<\/p>\n

Oca Foods produces preservative-free snack bites inspired by Brazilian flavors and made with simple ingredients. The company currently offers both regular and sugar-free varieties that are vegan, gluten-free, and keto-friendly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOca is a food business with a very simple mission,\u201d Raposo said. \u201cTo create delicious, preservative-free snacks that taste good and connect people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s journey started at home, where Raposo and his wife began making the product before testing it at Austin-area farmers’ markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re an Austin company, really local,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Oca<\/p>\n

Oca Foods entrepreneur wins big with Austin FC’s Dream Starter presented by Q2<\/p>\n

Winning the Pitch<\/p>\n

After advancing through multiple rounds, Raposa took the stage at Austin FC\u2019s Q2 Stadium to present his business to a panel of judges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about preparation,\u201d he said. \u201cI know Oca better than anybody else because I created it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomson said the judges were impressed by more than just the product.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe product is amazing, but beyond that, it was really his story,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about their culture, their family, and the team behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

Images from Q2 Dreamstarter Pitch Competition Event at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday May 27, 2026. (Photo by JJ Moothart\/Austin FC)<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for Oca?<\/p>\n

Raposo plans to use the funding to scale production and increase marketing efforts as the company continues to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to keep investing in scaling the business,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need people to know who we are, what kind of products we make, and why we exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

Images from Q2 Dreamstarter Pitch Competition Event at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday May 27, 2026. (Photo by JJ Moothart\/Austin FC)<\/p>\n

Encouraging Future Entrepreneurs<\/p>\n

For anyone considering applying for future Dream Starter competitions, Raposo has simple advice:<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t think twice. Go ahead and apply.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Images<\/p>\n

Images from Q2 Dreamstarter Pitch Competition Event at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday May 27, 2026. (Photo by JJ Moothart\/Austin FC)<\/p>\n

Where to Find Oca Foods<\/p>\n

Oca products are currently available in more than 40 H-E-B stores across Texas, as well as local retailers including Royal Blue Grocery and other independent Austin businesses. Products can also be purchased through Amazon and the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\"Oca<\/p>\n

Oca Foods entrepreneur wins big with Austin FC’s Dream Starter presented by Q2<\/p>\n

To learn more about the Dream Starter Competition, visit AustinFC.com\/DreamStarter. <\/a>For more information about Q2 and its community initiatives, visit Q2.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Oca<\/p>\n

Oca Foods entrepreneur wins big with Austin FC’s Dream Starter presented by Q2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For six years, Austin FC and Q2 have helped local entrepreneurs turn big ideas into thriving businesses through…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343221,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-343220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343220","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=343220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}