An eyecare clinic, a mental health counseling firm and a digital marketing agency won over the\u00a0 judges at Fort Worth\u2019s annual business plan competition on Thursday evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coming in second place and as the voter\u2019s favorite was Dr. Julie Erwin, who worked as a bilingual educator for several years before she became a student again. She wanted to help kids and their parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, she\u2019s been practicing optometry for seven years. In February 2024, she opened Panther City Eye Care, a locally owned optometrist practice in the Riverside neighborhood. By December, patients started streaming in from the surrounding community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw kids who didn\u2019t have academic issues,\u201d she said. \u201cThey had vision issues. If I could figure out the vision issues as a layperson, I needed to pursue that as a career.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Riverside, historically, the only eye doctors available were the opticians at Walmart, offering\u00a0 vision exams but no medical eye care, and a smaller private practice that only opened one or two days a week, Erwin said. In a predominantly Latino community, an ethnic group with a higher rate of glaucoma and diabetes, she knew more options were needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t I put healthcare or an office there with easy access for people who have these issues?\u201d she said. \u201cI love that area. I\u2019m on Race Street and it\u2019s a developing area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erwin, one of 20 participants invited to the 2026 Business Plan Competition, a monthslong series of workshops, mentor sessions and hands-on training, had made it to the Top 8. The finalist delivered her final pitch at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in front of a panel of six judges and a crowd of audience members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 15-year-old competition, sponsored by the city of Fort Worth\u2019s Economic Development Department and Frost Bank, aims to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and networking support needed to advance their business idea. It invites founders from all industries to compete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Third place winners receive a $4,000 prize; second place, $6,000; and first place honorees receive the grand prize, $10,000. It also includes the Perfect Pitch prize, chosen through audience votes, which includes $500 in credits from Printed Threads, the perfect pitch sponsor, which went to Erwin this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-4-768x1024.jpeg\")
Several people attended the final showcase for the 2026 Business Plan Competition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Oct. 15, 2026. Voters chose their favorite pitch as the Perfect Pitch winner. (Rebecca Heliot for the Fort Worth Report)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shawna Murphy, founder and CEO of StyleSmart Virtual Assistant, who won the competition in 2024, hosted the event. She said the program helped founders give a better understanding of their business idea and how to communicate it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For her, the competition was the perfect opportunity to grow StyleSmart Virtual Assistant, a company that connects small businesses to trained virtual assistants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I was like, you know what? Let me go do this because never has there been a time where I haven\u2019t invested time in my business,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I did it, and I learned to build my business plan, and I came, and I pitched. I\u2019m pretty sure I blacked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, she said her business has grown by 300% and has over 35 virtual assistants. She believes revenue might hit seven digits by next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the eight founders presented their timed pitches, judges deliberated for 20 minutes and counted votes for the audience choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rishabh Sharma, who goes by Rish, founded Iconier Inc. to serve small and mid-sized businesses in Fort Worth. His business won the grand prize, a $10,000 check to fund business plans at the digital marketing agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He plans to use $5,000 for a local ambassador tasked with meeting small business owners where they gather, including the chamber and other local groups. A $2,000 investment will go into paying a salary for a video producer to create short educational videos for the company\u2019s client base. The rest of the money, $3,000, will be split evenly for memberships to local business organizations and toward free workshops and local sponsorships.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company aims to grow from three Fort Worth clients to 20 by 2027, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall businesses, they need that more than anybody else, especially because they can\u2019t afford it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we keep our pricing very low, so we can support it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharma, born in India, grew up learning from his father, who owned a billboard advertising firm. He graduated from the University of London in the U.K. and moved to Fort Worth in 2018. Since then, he has gained U.S. citizenship and has become actively involved in the community. He noticed the amount of small businesses in the area and saw a need for better advertising to boost sales and keep firms standing, especially after the COVID pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall business owners in Fort Worth shouldn\u2019t have to gamble on marketing,\u201d Sharma said. \u201cThey should know what it costs and see the phone ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erwin\u2019s eye care practice took second place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The third place spot went to Open-Minded Counseling, a business offering affirmative and inclusive mental health and wellness services that support a person\u2019s mind, body and spirit.<\/p>\n
Open-Minded Counseling is owned by Kaity Stone, a 42-year-old licensed clinical social worker and AcuDetox Specialist with advanced graduate training in social work and clinical psychology, took the third place prize.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-3-768x1024.jpeg\")
Rishabh Sharma, center, won the grand prize at the 2026 Business Plan Competition. Dr. Julie Erwin, left, won second place, and Kaity Stone, right, won third place, Oct. 15, 2026. (Rebecca Heliot for the Fort Worth Report)\u00a0<\/p>\n
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During her pitch, she talked about her own experiences and how they tie into her work. The clinic focuses on affirmative and inclusive mental health and wellness services across state lines, including in Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stone worked several years in public health before launching her own business. She said though the city does great in supporting the LGBTQ+ community, she wanted to do more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople need a safe space,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m very passionate about this.\u201d<\/p>\n