2024 Dream Starter 16x9 Title
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In 2024, Austin FC and Q2 Holdings Inc. are bringing back the annual Austin FC Dream Starter Competition.

The fourth installment of this business initiative invites Austin entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups to apply and compete for $100,000 in “Dream Starter” funds to accelerate their entrepreneurial venture.

From the initial applicant group, five (5) finalists will be selected to participate in a Pitch Contest on Thursday, May 23, at Q2 Stadium. Each finalist’s presentation will be evaluated by an esteemed group of representatives from Austin FC, Q2 Holdings Inc., and other executives from the Austin entrepreneurial community. The Austin FC Dream Starter Competition winner will be announced to the public on Friday, May 24 and honored with a check presentation during halftime at the Austin FC vs. Portland Timbers match on Wednesday, May 29.

2024 Pitch Competition Winner: Tiffany Wilson, 29Eleven The Salon

29Eleven the Salon was announced as the winner of the 2024 Austin FC Dream Starter Competition presented by Q2 Holdings, Inc. 29Eleven the Salon will receive $100,000 in funding to accelerate its business and mission as part of the Austin FC Dream Starter business initiative, which supports Austin entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds.

29Eleven the Salon provides education and hair care services to address the unique needs of curly and highly textured hair. Historically, cosmetology schools have only provided training focused on straighter hair textures, which results in the surrounding communities being underserved for hair care services.

The Austin FC Dream Starter Competition combines Q2’s mission with Austin FC’s inclusivity through equity community pillar. The aim is to connect underrepresented entrepreneurs with the resources needed to build profitable, high-growth companies. The “Dream Starter” funds will aid 29Eleven the Salon in overcoming financial barriers to achieve success.

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2024 Dream Starter Pitch Competition Host

Tierra Neubaum
Tierra Neubaum

Tierra Neubaum is the lifestyle reporter for Good Day Austin and host of her very own new lifestyle show, "Tierra's Texas", at FOX 7 Austin. She highlights the people, places and events that make Austin and the surrounding areas unique. She finds, plans and produces her feature stories and visits a new location every weekday. Tierra loves shining a positive light on the community.

Tierra loves our local sports community; she's a longhorn, friend of Austin FC and reports on racing at Circuit of the Americas. Tierra is a graduate of The University of Texas, where she received a degree in journalism. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants and being active and outdoors with her husband, family and friends.

Tierra Neubaum

2024 Dream Starter Pitch Competition Judges

Bharath Oruganti
Bharath Oruganti
Bharath Oruganti
Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, Q2

As Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, Bharath is responsible for Q2’s worldwide professional services and customer support organizations. His teams are responsible for ensuring Q2’s products and services are delivered and serviced quickly and with exceptional quality. Bharath brings a wealth of experience to Q2, having served in executive leadership and advisory roles at several organizations including ShoreTel, Inc., Encore Media Metrics, and Deloitte Consulting LLP. At Deloitte, Bharath served several financial institutions in the areas of growth strategy, customer analytics, and service differentiation. His wide array of experience spans corporate strategy, business development, product management, customer lifecycle operations, and global service delivery.

He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with highest honors as a Kozmetsky Scholar.

Katrina Brooks
Katrina Brooks
Black Pearl Books, Founder and Co-owner

If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to build theirs. That’s the sentiment that drives Katrina Brooks in all her entrepreneur endeavors. Her latest is founder and owner of Black Pearl Books, an Austin based independent bookstore promoting – diversity, inclusion, and representation – through literature.

Katrina started Black Pearl Books in November 2019 as a popup shop, taking selections of diverse books out to the community. In just over two years, the business grew from an out-of-the garage operation to a sustainable brick-and-mortar retail store, co-operated with her husband.

She describes Black Pearl Books as a labor of love birthed out of life experiences as a mother and advocator for education. Although Katrina has years of business experience, the success of her store is fueled by her unwavering faith and uncanny belief that whatever she can imagine, she can create – it’s her superpower!

Katrina received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Clark Atlanta University and an MBA in marketing from University of Texas at Dallas. She worked in corporate environments for many years before branching out as a freelance consultant and forming her own public relations company - the beginning of her entrepreneur endeavors. Over the years, she served as a business strategist to numerous small women-owned businesses and prior to founding Black Pearl Books, owned an interior design company and vintage retail shop.

Katrina believes in giving back and has volunteered with and served on several nonprofit Boards, most recently starting her own nonprofit to promote - through philanthropic service - the same ideals and mission as her company.

Jeremy Martin
Jeremy Martin
Jeremy Martin
Austin Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO

Jeremy Martin serves as President & CEO to the Austin Chamber of Commerce. He has represented Central Texas businesses at all levels of government from the White House Business Council to local community groups with one purpose in mind: strengthening the Central Texas regional economy to create job opportunities across the economic spectrum. Prior to his current role, Jeremy served as Senior Vice President at the Chamber for thirteen years. As Senior Vice President of Strategy, he was involved in strategic planning efforts at the Chamber such as the regional Opportunity Austin initiative and the Chamber's annual InterCity Visit.

As Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Jeremy oversaw advocacy efforts at the Chamber focusing on priorities such as economic development policy, transportation, infrastructure, education/workforce development, and regulatory climate. Whether it appeared on the ballot or a city council agenda, he knew how policy items affected Chamber members. Jeremy serves on the Board of Directors of the Austin Economic Development Corporation and is a member of the strategic planning committee. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Advancement Network having been Board Chair in 2016.

Jeremy earned a Bachelor of Arts in mathematical economic analysis from Rice University and a Master of City Planning with a concentration in community and economic development from the University of Pennsylvania.

Laura Dixon
Laura Dixon
Pro Sports Assembly, Founder

Laura Dixon is a high-value, trusted advisor in the sports industry. She grows sports-centric businesses by building strong relationships and sustainable financial strategies. She is the Founder of long game ventures, a firm that guides and invests in businesses committed to making an impact through sport. Laura is also CEO and co-founder of Pro Sports Assembly, the association for professional sports business leaders.

She is a Past Chair of The Texas Lyceum and serves on the national Board of Directors for the PLAYS Coalition. She has also served alongside the US State Department on sports envoys, fellowships, and programs connecting sports leaders and organizations across the globe.

Prior to long game ventures, she served as head of external relations for Spurs Sports and Entertainment, leading government and public affairs and serving as executive director of the Spurs Foundation. When Laura joined Spurs Sports and Entertainment, she was a partner at Victor Credo, an advisory firm that supported talent agents, high profile coaches and athletes in advancing their careers, social impact, and off-court business ventures. Her clients included NBA All-Stars, Olympic Gold Medalists, NCAA Champions, youth sport organizations, coaches associations, municipalities, school districts, universities and North American indigenous tribes.

Ultimately, her forte is partnering with sport executives to build coalitions, set a vision, develop a plan, and execute with excellence. In doing so, she enjoys helping clients make lasting connections with external stakeholders and organizations to enhance their business reputation and impact. She possesses an exceedingly high track record of success in leading ventures at the intersection of sport and social impact.

Laura received an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, a BS from Texas Tech University and executive certificates from Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Kentucky. She was in the first cohort to receive a Certified Sports Event Executive designation and Certificate of Inclusive Leadership in professional sports. Throughout her career, Laura has served on numerous state, municipal and nonprofit boards.

Laura Dixon
Yuen Yung
Yuen Yung
Yuen Yung
Business Exec, GAACC Board Member

Yuen Yung is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Halbar Partners, LLC. Halbar Partners is a growth equity investment firm. HalBar is a thesis-led investment firm, focusing on macroeconomic themes that our team has profound conviction and domain expertise on.

As CEO of Casoro Group, Yuen was responsible for the overall management of operations including business development and investor relations. A true savant in his field, Yuen brings a wealth of experience across a broad range of disciplines, among them: finance, investment management, capital raising, wealth planning, venture capital, portfolio management, alternative investments, commodities, strategic planning, leadership and training, sales and organizational structuring.

Prior to joining Casoro Group, Yuen was the founder and CEO of the franchisor How Do You Roll?, a fastcasual sushi restaurant. In 2013, he appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and received the highest investment offer in the history of the show from investor Kevin O’Leary. Yuen previously spent 13 years in the investment management and advisory industry a Managing Partner of Kenty, Yung, Ozias & Associates, where he oversaw advisors and was responsible for the capital raise and management of more than $300 million in funds raised from high-net worth individuals, families, corporations, and charitable organizations. In his earlier years, he developed 27 commercial retail sites as an entrepreneur.

He currently sits on the board of Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce and serves as Chairman, and previously the Board President of Austin-based non-profit The Thinkery and he has served on the Board of Directors for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He also volunteers as a mentor for Ignite Accelerator, an Austin-based business incubator as well as Founders Firm and INCubatoredu. Yuen was named as a finalist for an Austin Under 40 award in 2013 and was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award from The University of Texas Professional Development Center in 2006. In 2020, Yuen was awarded by Globe Street as one of the Best Bosses in the commercial real estate industry.

Yuen also services on the Advisory Boards of Golfinity and RocketDollar to help with strategic planning and CEO mentoring.

Yuen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also a graduate of MIT’s Entrepreneurship Masters Program and has professional certifications as a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC®) and Board Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). He is also a published author of two books The Blind Grind© and The Business Model Blueprint©.

Harrison Kim
Harrison Kim
Austin FC, Senior Vice President of Business Strategy

Harrison Kim is the Senior Vice President of Business Strategy at Austin FC, where he applies over a decade of experience across MLS, NHL, and NBA to develop data-driven strategies that enhance fan engagement and drive significant revenue growth.

He is known for advancing data analytics and strategic business initiatives that have helped Austin FC achieve rapid growth and consistent sell-out matches. With expertise in strategic planning and business intelligence, Harrison excels at crafting innovative strategies that propel success in the sports industry.

Harrison Kim

Previous Winners