Bryon Pierson

Background

About Bryon Pierson

Self-Funded College Grad | Advocate for Minorities | Entrepreneur | Aspiring Politician At 15, I fought for my independence in court (emancipation) and self-funded my college journey, accumulating $60K in debt. Over six years, I immersed myself in college finances, housing, and entrepreneurship, including tech and entrepreneurial training programs since 2019. My focus on LGBT+ enrollment and retention led to advocacy for minority students, especially in education and housing. I'm a former college wrestler, high school wrestling coach, and received the Most Valuable Wrestler award in one of Illinois' biggest high schools. With a background in politics, my goal is to run for public office one day. Programs I have participated in? Pitch and Exhibit events: Old Post Office Startups Demo day, Startup Connection (2018, 2019), TechRise weekly Pitch Competition (2022) and TechRise Annual Finale Competition (2022) Balsa Grant 5k follow-on Pitch competition (2022) GenZ VC Pitch Competition (2022) Startout LGBT+ National Pitch Showcase (2022) Pitchforce Seed Stage Pitch Showcase (2022) Metro East Startup Challenge Final Pitch Competition TechSTL Pitch Breakfast competition (2022) Hey Days STL Startup Week Pitch Competition 2023- Winner Pitches Get Stitches STL Startup Week Pitch Competition 2023 Programs: Techstars Tulsa 2023 Washington University in St. Louis (I-Corps)(2019) ITEN, SLU-Start (I-Corps) Spring 2020, 2022 ITEN, selected to participate in LeanStack, Validation Module (completed LeanStack Ideation Module and validation)(2020), Velocity (2022) Score Mentors (2020,2021,2022) Square One Ignite CET (2019) 4.0 Tiny Fellowship (2022) Harris-Stowe MECCA Entrepreneurship Program (2022) CIC Social impact Cohort (2021) Insite Fellows (2022) Center For Experiential Learning and the Olin Business school (2020,2021,2022) St. Louis Regional Chamber Diverse Business Accelerator program (2019)