Marriott and the founder of She Has a Deal (SHaD), Tracy Prigmore, will welcome women entrepreneurs and Black business owners at the global hotel chain’s headquarters for the opportunity to win a $50,000 pitch competition.

The fourth annual competition, in Bethesda, Maryland, is a milestone occasion for Prigmore, a hotel investor and founder of real estate investment company TLTsolutions.

“I am on a mission to increase the number of women and people of colour owning and developing hotels. SHaDPitch is just one of my strategies to create new pathways that open the door to building wealth through hotel real estate development,” Prigmore said in a statement. “Marriott collaborated with us from the beginning when She Has a Deal was just a concept and their leadership has been instrumental in furthering the mission. So we are elated that Marriott wanted to host SHaDPitch at their new headquarters this year.”

Participants in the SHaD competition went through two tracks: Early Career and Today's Woman. They completed more than 40 hours of intensive hotel investment education to learn how to source, evaluate, and raise capital for a real hotel deal.

Sixteen women graduated from the Early Career track, and the Today’s Woman trick included 10 women, according to a statement.

The finalists will participate in a final pitch round for the grand prize.

Attendees will include leaders in the hotel and lending industries as well as competition participants, current and aspiring hotel owners and women seeking to expand career opportunities.