Mastercard and Bank of America Announce Deidre Mathis, Founder of Wanderstay as the Third Annual Grow Your Biz Winner
November 18 2019 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Wanderstay takes their business to the next
level with a $25,000 grand prize and industry-expert
consultation
Mastercard and Bank of America announced Deidre Mathis, Founder
of Wanderstay as the winner of the third annual Grow Your Biz
Contest, which called on small business owners across the country
to pitch their business plans for the chance to win $25,000 and
individual coaching from industry experts on how to take their
business to the next level.
This year, small business owners submitted videos answering the
question: “How would $25,000 help grow your business?” to the Grow
Your Biz microsite. From the submissions, four finalists from
across the U.S. were selected to pitch their business plans in New
York City at Union Park on November 14th. The Grow Your Biz panel
of expert judges, including Create and Cultivate CEO Jaclyn
Johnson, host of CNBC’s “Cleveland Hustles” Bonin Bough, Head of
North America Small Business for Mastercard Ginger Siegel and Bank
of America Small Business Product Management executive Kelly
Firment, selected Wanderstay as the grand prize winner.
After having traveled to over 43 countries on all 7 continents,
Mathis fell in love with the instant community and cultural
diversity hostels provided. She wanted to bring that same
experience stateside, and this the concept for Wanderstay was born
in Houston, Texas. Wanderstay aims to connect travelers from all
over the globe and make travel more accessible by offering
affordable private and shared accommodation complete with an
instant community.
“We would like to congratulate all four of our finalists, who
each brought tremendous passion and innovative ideas to the table,”
said Kelly Firment, Small Business Product Management executive at
Bank of America. “We were extraordinarily impressed with Deidre
Mathis of Wanderstay and look forward to supporting her vision for
the next stage of their journey. Whether you’ve been in business
for decades or are just starting out, we are committed to providing
the resources business owners need to help them grow.”
The Grow Your Biz Contest, which launched in 2017, draws
submissions from a range of diverse U.S. business owners seeking
the opportunity for funding and consultation to help them grow
their businesses. This year’s finalists included mental health
counseling company, Creative Counseling for Healthy Living, LLC
from Illinois, Kentucky-based plant shop and community Forage,
mobile dining experience company, Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
from Philadelphia and Houston’s modern private and shared
accommodations provider Wanderstay. To learn more about each of
these passionate business owners, you can watch the Grow Your Biz
Contest finalist videos here.
“Every year we are amazed by the diversity of our Grow Your Biz
Contest finalists and are inspired by their business drive,” said
Ginger Siegel, Head of North America small business, Mastercard.
“Together with Bank of America, we continue to provide the tools
and solutions small businesses need, but more importantly the
one-on-one mentorship, guidance and industry perspective to help
them address their unique challenges and thrive.”
Mastercard and Bank of America continue to ensure that small
business owners across the U.S. have access to the insight, support
and solutions that will help them achieve their growth ambitions
every day. The Grow Your Biz Contest is just one program equipping
go-getting small business owners with the right resources and
expert guidance to take their businesses to the next level.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology
company in the global payments industry. Our global payments
processing network connects consumers, financial institutions,
merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries
and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday
commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a
business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more
efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join
the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for
the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
About Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial
institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market
businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking,
investing, asset management, and other financial and risk
management products and services. The company provides unmatched
convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million
consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail
financial centers, including approximately 2,400 lending centers,
2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment Financial
Solutions Advisor and 1,900 business centers; approximately 16,600
ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with nearly 38 million
active users, including approximately 29 million mobile users. Bank
of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and
investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset
classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and
individuals around the world. Bank of America offers
industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business
owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products
and services. The company serves clients through operations across
the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries.
Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New
York Stock Exchange.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements
and other important information, visit the Bank of America
newsroom. Click here to register for news email alerts.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191118005533/en/
Mastercard Communications Sarah Ely 914.249.6714
Sarah.ely@mastercard.com
Bank of America Communications Don Vecchiarello
980.387.4899 Don.vecchiarello@bankofamerica.com
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