{"id":781378,"date":"2026-09-24T19:18:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T19:18:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/781378\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T19:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T19:18:14","slug":"nine-entrepreneurs-vie-for-125k-in-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/781378\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine Entrepreneurs Vie For $125K In Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation [BEDC] and Global Atlantic have announced the nine finalists for the fourth annual Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition, which will offer $125,000 in total funding, with\u00a0Nala Carlington, Amon Simons, Marcus Rewan, Zakary Nzabalinda, Camily Lovell, Andrew Smith Jr, Taj-Rae Outerbridge, Mahtorrie Wilkinson, and Zach Stecko all making the finals.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson said, \u201cThe Bermuda Economic Development Corporation [BEDC], in collaboration with Global Atlantic, has announced the finalists for the 4th Annual Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition. The event takes place on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Hamilton Princess Hotel &amp; Beach Club.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHeld during Global Entrepreneurship Week, the competition will once again put a spotlight on Bermuda\u2019s entrepreneurs as they pitch their business ideas live for a share of $125,000 in total funding. With grants of up to $25,000 each, it continues to give local entrepreneurs the backing they need to grow their businesses.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"slb_group[1601166] slb slb_internal\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1601170\" alt=\"Wave of Opportunity Bermuda Sept 24 2026 1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-1.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe collaboration between BEDC and Global Atlantic reflects a shared commitment to Bermuda\u2019s entrepreneurs and to the island\u2019s longer-term economic resilience. In four years it has become a fixture of Bermuda\u2019s Global Entrepreneurship Week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGlobal Atlantic is proud to call Bermuda home, and supporting the people and businesses that contribute to the island\u2019s future is an important part of our commitment to the community,\u201d said Alberto Autmezguine, Managing Director, President and Chief Financial Officer, Global Atlantic Bermuda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the past several years, the Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition has given us the opportunity to see firsthand the creativity and ambition of Bermuda\u2019s entrepreneurs. We are proud to continue our collaboration with BEDC and look forward to seeing this year\u2019s finalists bring their ideas to the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Erica Smith, Executive Director of BEDC, reflected, \u201cNow in its fourth year, the Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition has become one of the highlights of Bermuda\u2019s entrepreneurial calendar. That is due in no small part to Global Atlantic, whose commitment to Bermuda and to Bermudian entrepreneurs runs deep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"slb_group[1601166] slb slb_internal\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1601167\" alt=\"Wave of Opportunity Bermuda Sept 24 2026 2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-2.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>She continued, \u201cThe grants change what these entrepreneurs are able to do next, but the stage matters just as much. It gives the island a chance to see the ingenuity and determination behind these businesses. Come out, cheer on our finalists, and play an active role in supporting the next generation of Bermudian business leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson added, \u201cNine finalists will take the stage this year, three in the Young Adults category and six in the Main category, representing businesses from across a range of industries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYoung Adults Category Finalists: Nala Carlington, The Daily Grind; Amon Simons, Sweet Saak Bakery; and Marcus Rewan, C.H.U.M [Circular Harvesting Using Matter].<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"slb_group[1601166] slb slb_internal\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1601168\" alt=\"Wave of Opportunity Bermuda Sept 24 2026 3\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-3.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMain Category Finalists: Zakary Nzabalinda, Physio First: Rehab &amp; Recovery; Camily Lovell, Strange Bird; Andrew Smith Jr., Island Fresh Laundry; Taj-Rae Outerbridge, TKO Locksmith; Mahtorrie Wilkinson, Provisions Homecare; and Zach Stecko, Harbourflow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEach finalist will have five minutes on stage to present their business idea and vision to a panel of judges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe judges, drawn from Global Atlantic and Bermuda\u2019s business community, will assess each pitch based on innovation, feasibility, and potential for growth. This live format gives the audience an inside look at how Bermuda\u2019s entrepreneurs think, plan, and present their ideas in a competitive setting.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"slb_group[1601166] slb slb_internal\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1601169\" alt=\"Wave of Opportunity Bermuda Sept 24 2026 4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-4.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe evening will also feature the People\u2019s Choice Award, where in-person attendees have the opportunity to vote for their favorite pitch. This gives the community a direct hand in the outcome of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The impact of the competition\u2019s support is best told by the entrepreneurs who have lived it. Greg Wilson, Founder of Food Forest, won in the main category at the 2025 Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition and reflected on the year since: \u201cThe growth of any business is something that comes from patience, purpose and preservation. This grant has accelerated our trajectory in sustainable agriculture in many ways and helped us tremendously, in just a few short years we have become a leader in regenerative sustainable organic farming. Thanks for all your help BEDC and Global Atlantic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdmission is free and seating is limited, so RSVP at www.gew.bm to reserve a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/2026\/09\/nine-entrepreneurs-vie-for-125k-in-grants\/\" data-via=\"bernewsdotcom\" data-text=\"Nine Entrepreneurs Vie For $125K In Grants\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a class=\"mr_social_share_whatsapp\" href=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/2026\/09\/nine-entrepreneurs-vie-for-125k-in-grants\/whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Nine+Entrepreneurs+Vie+For+%24125K+In+Grants%20https%3A%2F%2Fbernews.com%2F2026%2F09%2Fnine-entrepreneurs-vie-for-125k-in-grants%2F\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790277493_831_whatsapp.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Share on WhatsApp\" title=\"Share on WhatsApp\" \/><\/a><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/2026\/09\/nine-entrepreneurs-vie-for-125k-in-grants\/\" data-text=\"Nine Entrepreneurs Vie For $125K In Grants\" data-desc=\"The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation and Global Atlantic have announced the nine finalists for the fourth annual Wave of Opportunity Pitch Competition, which will offer $125,000 in total funding, with\u00a0Nala Carlington, Amon Simons, Marcus Rewan, Zakary Nzabalinda, Camily Lovell, Andrew Smith\" data-image=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Wave-of-Opportunity-Bermuda-Sept-24-2026-1.jpg\" data-button=\"icon_small\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_icon_small.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read More About<\/p>\n<p class=\"tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/tag\/bermuda-business\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#BermudaBusiness<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"cats\">Category: <a href=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/category\/all\/\" title=\"View all posts in All\" rel=\"category tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">All<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/category\/business\/\" title=\"View all posts in Business\" rel=\"category tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Business<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bernews.com\/category\/bermuda-news\/\" title=\"View all posts in News\" rel=\"category tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">News<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bermuda Economic Development Corporation [BEDC] and Global Atlantic have announced the nine finalists for the fourth annual&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":781379,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[84,4203,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-781378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/781379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}