She Has a Deal (SHaD), a real estate education and investment platform dedicated to creating new pathways to hotel ownership and development for women, launches the fifth season of its signature hotel investment pitch competition, SHaDPitch 2024, for which they are now accepting applications.
The accelerator and educational program, set to kick off its fifth cohort this fall, offers two competitive tracks: Early Careerist and Today’s Woman. Over the six-month duration, participants will experience a guided journey to gain the competencies needed to become hotel owners and developers. The women selected for the program will be immersed in She Has a Deal’s proprietary nine-stage hotel investment education designed to accelerate knowledge and ignite the confidence for them to take action toward their goal of hotel ownership. The participants gain exposure to a vast network of resources and receive one-on-one mentoring from experienced industry professionals, luminaries and hotel owners.
New to this season of SHaDPitch, the program will kick off with an intensive two-day boot camp in California wine country, hosted by Founder and CEO Tracy Prigmore at one of her own real estate properties. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to tour top hotel brand headquarters and connect with potential investors in person during the SHaD City Tour.
“I am incredibly excited to launch season 5 of SHaDPitch,” Prigmore said in a statement. “As a hotel owner, operator and developer, I have been a steady and audible champion around the country of women gaining ground in hotel real estate. This season, I plan to spend less time speaking about the importance of women in hotel real estate and more time deal making so that the world can experience the brilliance of women and the explosive innovation in the industry when more women are owning and developing hotels. This year is going to be unparalleled in terms of opportunity and growth.”
While graduates from SHaDPitch become a part of the SHaD community and ecosystem for a lifetime, the culmination of the formal education is the highly anticipated pitch competition in April, where participants will present their hotel deals to potential investors and industry experts. The top winner in each track will be awarded $50,000 in deal equity toward their project. Furthermore, all women will have the opportunity to access capital through the SHaD Prosperity Fund, a group of investors specifically interested in supporting women-led hotel investment projects.
The Early Careerist track is open to current college students or recent graduates with an interest in hotel ownership or investment, providing valuable high-level networking opportunities within the tight-knit hospitality industry. Several SHaDPitch Early Careerist alumnae have secured sought-after job placements in hospitality companies as a result of their participation.
The Today’s Woman track is designed for participants with established careers in hospitality, real estate or finance who are eager to become hotel owners, but seek guidance and expertise in navigating the process. She Has a Deal has a goal of closing five Today’s Woman deals during the year to celebrate season 5. New for the 2024 season, five SHaDPitch participants will be personally mentored by Prigmore and have access to funding from the SHaD Prosperity Fund. Funding for the Today’s Woman program is available directly in the application through Eaze Consulting.