Dotted, a women’s health startup dedicated to menstrual and reproductive care, claimed the top social innovator prize at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ “The Pitch,” held at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving.
The winning venture, which took home $115,000, particularly focuses on menstrual and reproductive health, an area founder Dejanae Parkman said is often dismissed or overlooked. Parkman built the platform to address what she described as a 7–10-year gap in diagnosing reproductive conditions, a delay many women face while being misdiagnosed or told to “wait out” their symptoms.
After years of being told to ignore her symptoms, Parkman said her turning point came in 2021, when she woke up in a hospital and was diagnosed with multiple reproductive conditions that had gone undetected. “I thought, ‘Wait, how did we miss this for 10 years?’” she recalled during her pitch. She later faced resistance in building Dotted, encountering repeated dismissals.
Dotted’s clinical health platform will launch later this year and is designed to turn symptom tracking into usable medical data. Built with Parkman’s proprietary AI, the app learns from user input to flag abnormalities and generate reports that can be shared with providers through electronic health records.
The platform is one of five cycle-tracking apps globally listed as a medical device by the FDA. The app is free, with costs covered through partnerships with hospitals, universities, and employers. Dotted is also supported by a clinical advisory committee of five physicians across OB-GYN and specialty care.
“I wanted to make sure I did it right and did it justice,” Parkman said. “So, to see that other people support it when I’ve had so many doors slammed in my face when I’m talking about periods… It just means a lot to me that people see how big a problem this is.”
The Pitch culminates United Way’s Social Innovation Accelerator, a yearlong program that selects up to 10 entrepreneurs in education, financial stability, or health, and then narrows them to five finalists. At the event, $270,000 is awarded to ventures addressing these challenges, and applications for the next cohort open that same night.
“There are so many opportunities and challenges in our community, and so many smart people,” said Susan Hoff, chief strategy and impact officer of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. “Given an opportunity like this, they’re going to be the ones that are going to change the world.”
This year’s judging panel included Scott Mueller of Goldman Sachs, Kit Collins of PNC, Amber Venz Box of LTK, Cheri Norris of Cornbread Hustle, and brand strategist Mahiri Takai. The event was hosted by Gina Miller, chief communications officer for the Dallas Mavericks, and NBC 5 sports director Newy Scruggs.
The 2026 year’s five finalists included:
Dejanae Parkman, Dotted; A women’s health app focused on menstrual and reproductive care that uses AI-driven symptom tracking to generate clinical reports and help close the gap in diagnosing reproductive conditions.
Dr. Antoria Gillon, From Ordinary to Extraordinary; which provides workforce training and economic pathways for domestic violence survivors seeking long-term stability.
Chris Hill, Restorative Farms; which develops urban agriculture projects in underserved communities to expand access to fresh, nutritious food while creating local jobs.
Elizabeth Furrh, Cooking for the Crowd; which prepares low-cost meals for nonprofit organizations, allowing them to redirect funding toward their core services.
Delmetria Millener, Teen Writers Project; which builds a literary ecosystem for high school students to develop writing skills, get published, and earn income through creative work.
All five finalists were awarded a $25,000 accelerator prize for reaching the final round. In addition, Cooking for the Crowd won the $20,000 Innovation Award, while From Ordinary to Extraordinary received both the $20,000 Impact Award and $15,000 Presentation Prize. Dotted’s success continued, earning both the $30,000 Audience Choice Award and the top $60,000 Social Innovator of the Year honor.
“The Pitch continues to showcase the power of bold ideas to drive meaningful change across North Texas,” said Jennifer Sampson, president and CEO of United Way Dallas. “While we celebrate tonight’s winners, the true impact will be felt in the lives improved through these innovative solutions.”
