The Yavapai College SBDC is excited to congratulate Katie Dufort, owner of Puzzle Rides Prescott, who competed Friday night at the final Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour event in Cottonwood, Arizona. Ms. Dufort pitched alongside 16 other rural Arizona entrepreneurs and took home the grand prize of $10,000 to invest in her growing company based in Prescott.
Ms. Dufort entered the local Quad Cities competition in March 2024 and placed first among nearly 20 local business owners. The final state competition included first place winners from rural communities across Arizona including Payson, Globe, Yuma, Flagstaff, Winslow, and St. Johns, to name a few, and four communities in Yavapai County including Seligman, Wickenburg, Quad Cities, and Verde Valley.
“We were delighted to be chosen as the winners of this year’s Moonshot grand prize.” said Katie Dufort, owner of Puzzle Rides Prescott. “Rural entrepreneurship has driven my business since its inception.”
The Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, APS, and Arizona Commerce Authority, welcomed rural entrepreneurs with a moonshot start-up idea or seasoned founders with business expansion plans. Participants prepare, practice, and perfect a 5-minute pitch presentation for a panel of judges.
Entrants to the local Yavapai County community competitions received start-up and pitch education led by Ruth Ellen Elinski, Yavapai College SBDC Director, and her team. Ms. Dufort has met with Karen Eads, SBDC Business Analyst, regularly to prepare for the state competition.
“Katie has a unique business model and worked hard to prepare a solid presentation,” said Eads. “She continued to make changes and improvements on her slides and was really confident Friday night. We are so proud of her win.”
This is the second time a Quad Cities business has captured the grand prize at this annual event. Dufort was grateful for SBDC support. “The SBDC team at Yavapai College was INCREDIBLE in their feedback and help,” she said. “We are very privileged to have this resource in our community.”
Learn more about Katie Dufort and her business, Puzzle Rides Prescott at PuzzleRides.com.
If you are a small business owner and need resources or support, the Yavapai College SBDC offers no cost, confidential consulting for businesses of all sizes with locations across the county. Services are also offered in Spanish. Register for services at yc.edu/sbdc or call 928-717-7232.
About Yavapai College: Yavapai College offers life-changing personalized education, career training, lifelong learning and workforce development opportunities online and in person at six locations across beautiful Yavapai County, AZ.
About Moonshot: Moonshot (www.moonshotaz.com) is a 21-year-old 501(c)3 non-profit. The mission of Moonshot is to assist both entrepreneurs in building and scaling start-ups as well as developing entrepreneurial ecosystems for economic development purposes across Arizona.
