This Saturday, The Entrepreneur and Small Business Education Series will conclude with PitchFest, a downtown Long Beach “Shark Tank”-esque event where participants will showcase their business ideas in hopes of receiving financial backing.
This seven-week series is a collaboration between the Downtown Long Beach (DTLB) Alliance, Wells Fargo Bank and California State University, Long Beach’s Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
During Saturday’s event, entrepreneurs and small business owners who took part in the series will present their ideas and funding proposals. The panel of judges, composed of representatives from the series organizers and the City of Long Beach, will review the proposed ideas and award funding to the chosen winners, according to DTLB Alliance.
Participants will be scored for their presentations’ innovation, feasibility and community impact. Funding will be assigned to the best presentations across two categories.
The first track is for existing downtown Long Beach businesses, with a total of $10,000 in funding up for grabs. Presentations given by the business owners in this track will focus on one-time investments to bolster their business’s stability, including equipment upgrades or physical improvements.
The second track, geared toward new ventures and existing Long Beach businesses outside of downtown, will offer $5,000 in funding. These pitches will center on one-time investments to take a local business forward and help ensure long-term viability.
PitchFest will take place Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at Studio One Eleven, located at 245 E. Third St. To learn more about The Entrepreneur and Small Business Education Series, visit the program’s online webpage.
