A Jackson-area small business pitch competition awarded $50,000 to local entrepreneurs Thursday evening, with Upstart Bakery taking home the top prize of $20,000.
- Upstart Bakery won $20,000 to produce locally sourced artisan grains in Jackson, Michigan.
- Twelve small businesses competed for $50,000 total funding, with Sandhill Crane Vineyards winning $7,500.
- Another $50,000 competition will be held in January for Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale county businesses.
The competition, organized through a partnership between Lean Rocket Lab and Michigan Tribe, featured 12 neighborhood-based small businesses competing for funding to sustain and expand their operations.
Earlier, Matt Prysiazny talked with a couple of those businesses leading up to the event. See that story here:
"I'm gonna bring something to Jackson and even to Michigan that it doesn't have right now, which is a flour business that produces locally sourced artisan organic grains," said Josh Palmer, owner of Upstart Bakery.
Palmer's vision extends beyond his own business to support the broader community ecosystem.
"It supports our whole community by bringing more healthy locally sourced nutritious food into our own neighborhoods," Palmer said.
Sandhill Crane Vineyards claimed third place, earning $7,500. Owner Holly Peterson plans to use the funds to upgrade her brewing equipment.
"Now we'll be able to upgrade it a little bit at least. I think we'll be able to do pretty well with what we got today," Peterson said.
The evening concluded with a surprise announcement that an additional $50,000 will be awarded in January, expanding eligibility beyond Jackson County to include businesses in Lenawee and Hillsdale counties.
"We're giving away the additional $50,000 to not only Jackson County businesses, but also Lenawee County, Hillsdale County businesses," said Alex Masten of Lean Rocket Lab and Michigan Tribe.
"I think it's really important specifically for the small businesses that we had here today because they are neighborhood based businesses," Masten said.
The initiative aims to grow communities and change lives through supporting local entrepreneurship.
Applications will be open December 15 to January 11 and will be open to all small businesses in Jackson, Hillsdale, or Lenawee counties. Find out more here.
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