Even after the confetti settled on stage at On The Levee, Kia-Shun Voltz was still processing the moment.

Minutes earlier, the founder of ShampooTime had been named the winner of the Dallas Mavericks’ 2026 Mavs Business Assist Final Pitch Competition, taking home $25,000 to grow her business.

It was quite the grand finale for Voltz, who spent months preparing for her moment on stage as part of the Mavs Business Assist (MBA) program — an initiative designed to support and empower diverse local entrepreneurs.

“This is the fourth year of the Mavs Business Assist program, and seeing it grow from year one to year four has been truly remarkable,” said Sean Reed, the Mavericks’ director of corporate social responsibility. “The number of applicants has increased every year, but the quality and engagement from the entrepreneurs has also continued to improve.”

This season’s cohort of 100 entrepreneurs has been participating in development and networking sessions since October, learning the ins and outs of running a scalable business.

Along the way, participants connected with mentors, industry experts and like-minded entrepreneurs — all leading up to the final pitch competition.

“We had about 60 entrepreneurs apply, and it was incredibly difficult to narrow that down to the six businesses selected to pitch,” Reed said.

Pitching alongside Voltz in Thursday’s competition were:

• Biridiana Ordoñez, M&B Tiny Shop
• Brittney Adams, Focus & Frame Eyewear
• Clayton Redmon, Miniature Harvest
• David Bernal, YoorKids
• Leticia Taylor-Buggs, Taylor Made Fitness

Each business owner took the stage for their five-minute presentations, followed by a three-minute Q&A session with the panel of judges in front of a room full of family, friends and MBA participants past and present.

After a lengthy deliberation, two businesses stood above the rest to earn a combined $40,000 in prize money — an investment made possible by Mavs Business Assist title sponsor ZenBusiness.

“Our goal at ZenBusiness is really to help make entrepreneurs’ dreams come true,” said Ross Buhrdorf, CEO and founder of ZenBusiness. “Small businesses are the heart of the economy, especially here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”

The $25,000 grand prize will provide a major boost for ShampooTime, a company focused on making hair care easier for families with little ones as it looks to expand its reach.

“We’re going to invest in social media influencers, inventory and making sure our operations flow seamlessly so customers have the best possible experience,” Voltz said.

Taking home second place — and a $15,000 check — was Clayton Redmon, founder of Miniature Harvest.

Redmon’s company focuses on innovative farming solutions within urban environments, supplying premium produce to restaurants, hotels and other businesses.

“It really came from being a chef and seeing a problem,” Redmon said. “I worked in restaurants in New York, Seattle and here in Dallas, and I saw a disconnect between who’s growing our food and who’s making it. It was really about seeing a problem and wanting to solve it.”

Like many of the entrepreneurs in the program, Redmon credits the mentorship and relationships built throughout the experience as one of the biggest takeaways.

“The biggest thing is the connections,” he said. “The connection I made with my mentor, the connections he introduced me to and the networking — those relationships will probably last longer than the money.”

For the Mavericks, that lasting impact is exactly the goal.

Through mentorship, education and opportunities like vendor fairs and the final pitch competition, Mavs Business Assist continues to provide local entrepreneurs with the tools, connections and confidence needed to take their businesses to the next level.

And for founders like Voltz and Redmon, Thursday night was more than a competition — it was another step toward building thriving businesses.