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CELEBRATING
SECOND-CHANCE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Impact Investing for Social Change

The Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator is a tangible expression of PEP’s mission to unite executives and former inmates through entrepreneurial passion. Think “Shark Tank… PEP Style”! We will showcase our alumni and how PEP creates the opportunity for second-chance citizens to develop their own businesses.

For 20 years, Prison Entrepreneurship Program has been the national pioneering leader in innovative programming that assists incarcerated men in Texas prisons by developing the life skills and knowledge to be successful and productive citizens upon their return to society.”

LEARN MORE
Man in a blazer speaking into a microphone on stage at a PEP event, with an audience seated at round tables in a ballroom with chandeliers.
Group of six people in formal attire holding a large presentation check for $35,000 awarded to IronRod Steel Co. at a PEP Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator event.

Attend the 2026 North Texas Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator Event

Full Table

$5,000

  • Seating at Event (10)
Full Table RSVP
Half Table

$2,500

  • Seating at Event (5)
Half Table RSVP
Single Tickets

$500

  • Single Seats
Join the Wait List

Meet the "Sharks"

PEP recruits difference-makers in our community who will evaluate business pitches
from our second-chance entrepreneurs

Matt Creason

ShiftKey

Michael Rasa

Runway Roofing

Andrew Swartz

SBI Investments

Sponsor the 2025 Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator Event

PLATINUM SPONSORSHIP

$50,000

  • (2) Corporate tables of ten (20 tickets)
    with Premium seating
  • Company profile on social media and website
  • (1) Full-page ad in event program
  • Company logo prominently displayed at corporate table
  • Access for four (4) sponsor guests to the exclusive "Founders Lounge" at the cocktail reception
SIGN-UP FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PLATINUM SPONSORSHIP
GOLD SPONSORSHIP

$30,000

  • (1) Corporate table of ten (10 tickets)
    with Premium seating
  • Company profile on social media and website
  • (1) Half-page ad in event program
  • Company logo prominently displayed at corporate table
  • Access for two (2) sponsor guests to the exclusive "Founders Lounge" at the cocktail reception
SIGN-UP FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GOLD SPONSORSHIP
SILVER SPONSORSHIP

$15,000

  • (1) Corporate table of
    ten (10 tickets)
  • Company profile on social media and website
  • (1) Quarter-page ad in event program
  • Company logo prominently displayed at corporate table
  • Access for one (1) sponsor guest to the exclusive "Founders Lounge" at the cocktail reception
SIGN-UP FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SILVER SPONSORSHIP

Please contact us with any questions about the 2026 Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator event in North Texas.

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Event Sponsors & Supporters

We are grateful to the following sponsors for their support of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator.

Sponsorship opportunities are now available for our upcoming Dallas Barbed Wire to Business Accelerator event.

Contact us if you are interested in supporting returned citizen entrepreneurs and joining a powerful movement for change.

FRIEND OF PEP SPONSORS

Meet the "Sharks"

PEP has recruited difference-makers in our community that will evaluate business pitches from our second-chance entrepreneurs

Fred Moses

Plano Community Forum

Harold (Hal) Rosser

Rosser Capital Partners

David R. Brooks

Independent Bank

OUR HISTORY

  • Founded in 2004, PEP offers volunteer opportunities at in-prison events at units in the Dallas and Houston areas.
  • Former AEI president Arthur Brooks and Harvard strategy professor Michael Porter both recognize PEP as the #1 reentry program in America.
  • In 20 years, PEP has graduated 3,200 transformed men with less than 10% experiencing recidivism and only 4% for our eSchool alumni.
  • Graduates are employed on average within 25 days after release with an average starting wage of $17 per hour growing to $29 in three years.
  • Our 3,200 graduates have started 600+ businesses with many having revenues of more than $1 million.
  • Entre Capital, PEP’s subsidiary CDFI, has originated $1.6 million to 2nd chance business.
  • Successful reentry saves Federal and Texas governments $4.3 million per year.

Matt Creason

co-founder of ShiftKey

Matt Creason is a Dallas entrepreneur best known as a co-founder of ShiftKey, a tech platform that revolutionized healthcare staffing and scaled to a $2B+ valuation. Matt is now entering an exciting second act by investing in the city’s startup ecosystem, advising founders, and sharing hard-earned lessons from his own journey to help shape the next generation of entrepreneurs. While the ShiftKey story will always be a cornerstone of his legacy, Matt hopes his engagement within the tech community will create an equally meaningful impact. Whether speaking at conferences or working 1 on 1 with founders, his focus is to give back to the community that helped shape his own success. Outside of business, Matt has carved out space for personal passions. As a certified HondaJet pilot he balances his professional life with a love of aviation, travel, and new experiences. In many ways, his personal approach reflects his professional philosophy: stay focused, stay grounded, and enjoy the journey.

Michael Rasa

Managing Partner & Co-Founder Runway Roofing

Michael Rasa is a Dallas entrepreneur and investor best known as the founder of Rasa Floors, which he built from a startup in 1994 into a regional powerhouse with 11 locations and 637 team members before executing a successful exit with Saw Mill Capital in 2021. Since the exit, the platform has expanded to 25 locations across 23 states, and Michael continues to serve on the Board of Directors.

A former U.S. Army servicemember decorated with the Army Achievement Medal and Army Commendation Medal, Michael credits adversity early in life for shaping his leadership philosophy: systems, discipline, vision, and people drive everything.

Today, he and his wife Debbie lead the Rasa Family Office, overseeing multiple entities including Runway Roofing, Rasa Aviation, Rasa Properties, ADS Land Company, WR & Associates, and Debbie Rasa Coaching & Consulting. In 2025, they launched Runway Roofing, applying scalable systems and financial controls to build a fast-growing residential roofing company focused on insurance replacement.

An ATP-certified pilot with 11 type ratings, Michael operates a Falcon 900 and Falcon 300 out of Dallas and regularly flies humanitarian missions and cancer patients in need. He and Debbie also serve as Executive Directors and Board Members for Marriage Health, where Michael is a Certified Marriage Health Coach and longtime board member of the Association of Biblical Counselors.

Married with three daughters, three sons-in-law, and six grandchildren, Michael remains focused on building businesses, strengthening families, and investing in causes that create lasting impact.

Andrew Swartz

Founder/CEO SBI Investments

Andrew Swartz is founder/CEO of private equity firm SBI Investments. Most recently SBI became a Partner/investor at HalBar Partners, a global Search Fund. Andrew served as Chief Investment Officer of J Cleo Thompson Investments, and prior to that as President-Investments at Henry Investment Group, both of which are Texas-based single-family offices. Andrew has served on over a dozen private company boards, including CapturePoint (Carbon sequestration), System Beauty (E-comm fulfillment provider), McMahon Contracting (Heavy infrastructure construction), TruEnergy (Utility brokerage), Briarcliffe Partners (FINRA registered placement agent) and Legacy Knight (Multi-family office/wealth manager).

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