Good Soil Forum Returns to Award $500,000 to Entrepreneurs and Founders Ready for Growth

The fourth annual live pitch competition, presented by Wells Fargo, will equip entrepreneurs with mentorship, access to capital, and infrastructure needed to build lasting businesses

IRVING, Texas, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Good Soil Movement, founded by T.D. Jakes to connect entrepreneurs with the capital, relationships and resources needed to grow, today announced that its fourth annual Good Soil Forum, presented by Wells Fargo, will take place Oct. 8-10 at Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. Through the Forum's Seed Capital Pitch Competition, Good Soil will award $500,000 in equity-free capital to select founders. Since the inaugural Forum in 2023, the prize pool has grown from $250,000 to $500,000. The competition drew 1,829 applications in 2025, more than double the prior year's total. Registrants from Japan and countries across Africa are expected to attend next month's Forum.

At a moment when many entrepreneurs report seeing a path to ownership but cannot reach the capital or relationships that help unlock it, the Good Soil Movement is building a national platform that has brought thousands of founders together and awarded nearly $1 million in capital to small business owners.  The Forum will convene founders, investors, corporate leaders, potential customers and business partners.  Featured speakers include Tyler Perry, John Hope Bryant, Brian Hooks, Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker, Dr. Marcus Collins, DeDe McGuire and Kier Gaines.

More than a conference, the Forum is an extension of the Good Soil HQ app, connecting founders to opportunities that help them scale by providing mentorship, visibility, and tools for business growth. Mainstage conversations will address the issues most important to business owners today, while breakout sessions and intentional networking opportunities will equip founders with expert guidance, practical tools, growth strategies, and lasting peer connections to support their continued success beyond the Forum.

"The American Dream must be more than a story people are told; it must be a pathway they can enter," said T.D. Jakes, CEO of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, founder of the Good Soil Movement and a New York Times bestselling author. "Good Soil is built to bring founders closer to the capital, trusted relationships and practical tools that turn a business idea into an ownership story that can create opportunity for others."

$500,000 In Capital, Plus the Connections to Grow
The Forum features the $500,000 Seed Capital Pitch Competition, presented by Wells Fargo. Eight finalists will pitch live on the main stage for a share of the equity-free prize pool. Each finalist will receive capital, and the final Good Soil winner will be awarded $150,000 grand prize.

New for 2026, founders will compete in either the tech-enabled or non-tech/consumer packaged goods track, allowing companies to be evaluated alongside businesses with comparable models and stages of development.

The 2026 competition will bring Good Soil's total seed-capital prize awards to $1.75 million across four Forums. Since launching, the movement has also distributed nearly $1 million in capital to support small business owners and entrepreneurs.

2026 Speaker Lineup  - The Forum will bring together influential voices across entrepreneurship, entertainment, finance and business growth. Confirmed participants include:

• T.D. Jakes, CEO of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, founder of the Good Soil Movement and a New York Times bestselling author.
• Tyler Perry, filmmaker and owner of Tyler Perry Studios.
• John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and a New York Times bestselling author of "Capitalism for All."
• Brian Hooks, Chairman and CEO of Stand Together and noted non-profit leader.
• Boris Kodjoe, actor, producer, entrepreneur and investor.
• Nicole Ari Parker, actor, entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Gymwrap.
• Dr. Marcus Collins, marketer, professor at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business and bestselling author of For the Culture. 
• DeDe McGuire, host of nationally syndicated "DeDe in the Morning," Radio Hall of Fame inductee and founder of the DeDe McGuire Foundation.

**Additional speakers and program details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Registration and event updates are available at www.goodsoilforum.com 

Media credential applications are open
Members of the media and influencers interested in attending may contact [email protected]

About Good Soil
Good Soil Economic Development Corporation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and project founded by renowned leader and Founder of the T.D. Jakes Group, T.D. Jakes. It's on a mission to connect entrepreneurs to opportunities in an effort to increase and maintain generational wealth and economic health in communities. Here, every conversation plants a seed for growth, making every moment an opportunity to bloom into the next phase of small businesses. It works to unlock ownership, in business and in housing, for people who have been kept outside it. Good Soil EDC operates a nationally supported and locally led model, holding the platform, national partnerships and funds while local partners deliver in their own markets. Its work is anchored in Good Soil HQ and the annual Good Soil Forum. Learn more about the mission to increase generational wealth and employment by supporting entrepreneurs by visiting https://www.goodsoilforum.com/

Media Contact Information:
Jordan A. Hora  
T.D. Jakes Group
[email protected] 

SOURCE T.D. Jakes Group