Helena-West Helena entrepreneur wins $100,000 grant from Poker Power

Misti Staley, CEO of Helena-West Helena-based Staley House LLC and medical device creator, recently won a $100,000 grant from global education organization Poker Power.

Staley was one of more than 10,000 applicants for Poker Power’s Power Play Grant that, in collaboration with funding marketplace IFW, is awarded to entrepreneurs building companies with “bold impact and long-term growth potential,” according to a news release. Poker Power’s mission is to help 1 million people through the game of poker develop leadership skills, make better decisions and take smarter risks.

Staley and her husband, Will, created the FreeArm Tube Feeding Assistant to help feed their infant son, Freeman, who had pulmonary hypertension. Their son was almost 10 months old when he died in 2016. The device is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, insurance billable, and used in hospitals and homes internationally.

With the money, Staley will expand FreeArm’s global distribution, increase access for hospitals and families, and encourage women to learn poker as a tool for confidence, strategy and resilience.

Before entering the Poker Power competition, Staley had only played poker a few times. After applying, she enrolled in Poker Power’s virtual classes taught by professional poker players.

“Poker has fundamentally changed the way I think,” Staley said. “It sharpened my resilience, strengthened my risk tolerance, and boosted my confidence not just in business decisions but in life. Poker is strategy, patience and reading the room. It’s business but with cards.”

Poker Power believes poker is more than a game but teaches skills such as leadership, negotiation, decision-making under uncertainty and “going all-in when timing matters most,” the release shows. “These skills directly support founders like Staley navigating the realities of innovation, scale and growth.”

In 2024, Staley participated in Stepping Stones, an entrepreneurship program hosted by Builders + Backers, a Washington, D.C.-based entrepreneurial support firm, in partnership with Bentonville nonprofit Heartland Forward. The program was geared toward entrepreneurs whose ideas are proven to work and are ready to launch companies that grow revenue and create jobs. Staley was one of 12 entrepreneurs in the inaugural cohort and received $25,000 in non-dilutive funding.

The Poker Power competition “unlocked something deep” in Staley, according to the release.

“I’ve always loved games and healthy competition, so putting poker and entrepreneurship together feels electric,” she said.