Stacy L ChinFounder, KeepYourEquity · I get the government to write you checks

Should Founders go for corporate grants? || Kat Weaver (Power to Pitch)

16 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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In this interview, host Stacy L. Chin initially dismisses corporate grants as a waste of time, but invites guest Kat Weaver of Power to Pitch to share her perspective. Kat recounts how she entered the world of corporate grants by accident after a fire destroyed her first business, leaving her with no network or financial support. A professor suggested she try a pitch competition, which she entered despite lacking experience, ultimately winning a $7,500 grant. This experience revealed to her that there are supportive backers beyond family and that a substantial amount of free funding exists that many founders are unaware of, reshaping her view on corporate grants.

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Do not go for corporate grants. They're just a waste of time. At least that's what I originally thought. But then I sat down with Kat Weaver from Power to Pitch and she completely changed the way I saw this world. Let's see what she had to say. How did you get into the world of corporate grants?
Well, all by accident. I quite literally lost everything in my first business to a fire. I had no network, no rich aunt or uncle lying around to just throw money at this and restart the business. So I had a professor say, "You should do a pitch competition." And I had no idea what that meant. It was not an initial skillset that I had, but it was really my only form of survival. And so that day was the seed, and I got $7,500 in free grant money to kickstart the business. And it made me realize, okay, one, there's someone besides my mom who believes in this business. Two, there's so much more free money out there that most founders don't even know about.