Bloomington Entrepreneurs Prepare for $100,000 Pitch Contest
Twenty-five entrepreneurs completed a two-day intensive training program at Fire Station 3 as they prepare for the second annual Hatch Bloomington pitch contest, which offers $100,000 to open a brick-and-mortar business in the city.
The CEO Start Bootcamp condensed a typical 10-week entrepreneurship program into 12 hours over two days, according to city staff. Participants received training on business fundamentals, pitch development, and networking opportunities while building connections with fellow entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and experience levels.
Hatch Bloomington, a partnership between the City of Bloomington and Hennepin County, aims to support small business development by providing both financial incentives and ongoing business assistance. The program requires winners to establish a physical location within city limits.
The competition will advance through two public phases. On August 5, the top 10 finalists will present their pitches at Civic Plaza in an event open to the public and livestreamed online, with community voting for a favorite. The final three contestants will compete September 3 in another public event.
Participants reported increased confidence in their presentation skills and business plans following the bootcamp. City staff emphasized the program's focus on creating lasting connections among entrepreneurs and linking them with ongoing business resources available through the city and regional partners.
Our proprietary artificial intelligence agent analyzed publicly available documents including meeting agendas, minutes, and transcripts to write this story to help inform local residents. Feedback helps us improve, so please consider rating how we did with the thumbs up or down below.
Go deeper on this topic
Research related meeting documents and build a brief — without rewriting the story.
Full analysis
- City of Bloomington offering $100,000 to winners of the Hatch Bloomington pitch contest for physical storefronts.
- Transition from 10-week cohort programs to condensed 12-hour bootcamps for entrepreneurs.
- Collaboration between the City of Bloomington and Hennepin County to reduce barriers for small business startups.
- City government role in providing legal and financial support networks for aspiring business owners.
It was important to build in the business assistance throughout the process, creating community and connections.
For the Hatch participants, the goal is for them to be feeling more comfortable with their pitch.
I was so nervous, everybody could hear it in my tone standing up in front of them.
Source document
[0:00] (pleasant music)
[0:01] - It is good idea to help small business
[0:04] to grow up in the city.
[0:05] - Today we're at Fire Station 3,
[0:07] and we're here with participants
of Hatch Bloomington
[0:11] of the Top 25. CEO Start Bootcamp.
[0:14] It's a two-day bootcamp
to kickstart entrepreneurs
[0:17] and small business owners.
[0:18] Hatch Bloomington is a pitch contest.
[0:22] 2025 is the second year of the contest,
[0:24] and the winner results in
a hundred thousand dollars
[0:28] to open a brick and mortar location,
[0:30] a physical location within
the city of Bloomington.
[0:33] We've had three cohorts of CEO start
[0:36] at the City of Bloomington in partnership
[0:38] with Hennepin County.
[0:39] This is a 10-week cohort
program for entrepreneurs
[0:42] and small business owners
to learn about themselves,
[0:45] their product, their price
point, who their customer is.
[0:49] This time we're doing it
in two days, over 12 hours,
[0:53] and so a very condensed version of this.
[0:55] - Think about the stages of
the business owners that,
[0:57] you know, cities are wanting
[0:59] to support and uplift.
[1:00] They may have a full-time
job that pays really well,
[1:02] but again, they are then
paying to get their business up
[1:05] and launched, and getting
access to an account
[1:08] and getting access to
legal support is so costly,
[1:11] and that could be the piece
that prevents a business owner,
[1:14] aspiring entrepreneur to even start.
[1:16] - [Barb] So this year
for Hatch Bloomington,
[1:18] it was important to build
in the business assistance
[1:21] throughout the process,
[1:23] creating community and
connections among the participants
[1:26] to those resources that
are available to them
[1:29] throughout our community.
[1:30] - [Sam] For the Hatch
participants, the goal is for them
[1:32] to be feeling more
comfortable with their pitch.
[1:34] - I was so nervous, everybody
could hear it in my tone
[1:38] standing up in front of them.
[1:39] I was really never a good presenter
[1:41] and you'd be surprised
how everybody gave me
[1:43] really great feedback.
[1:45] I feel very confident. I feel ready.
[1:48] - I felt like this bootcamp
was super important.
[1:50] I think I had a very clear vision
[1:53] of what I want to execute on.
[1:56] I think this bootcamp
has allowed me to kind
[1:58] of refine it some more,
dig a little deeper
[2:00] and make sure I'm, you
know, dotting my I's
[2:03] and crossing my T's when it
comes to my plan moving forward,
[2:06] as well as how I want to pitch
[2:07] and communicate the value of my business.
[2:10] - I learned a lot because
we have a lot of CEO,
[2:15] who have business,
[2:18] and we share a lot idea between us
[2:22] how we can run our business.
[2:25] That made me feel so comfortable.
[2:27] - We're hoping that this program
sets them up for success.
[2:30] I know entrepreneurship is a
very hard thing to break into.
[2:33] It can be very lonely, but one
of the most important things
[2:36] that I've seen out of these two days is
[2:38] how they're building their
own community right now
[2:40] in real time, learning about
each other, being vulnerable,
[2:43] being respectful, and these are all people
[2:45] from all different walks
of life backgrounds,
[2:47] different types of businesses,
[2:48] different levels of experience.
[2:50] - As we move through the process,
[2:51] on August 5th will be
our top 10 pitch contest
[2:55] at Civic Plaza, and the
public is invited to that.
[2:59] We also will live stream it.
[3:00] You can see the pitches afterwards
[3:02] and the community is invited
to vote for their favorite.
[3:06] Top three is also open to
the public on September 3rd.
[3:09] - [Sam] It's exciting
to see who gets funded
[3:11] and even if they don't get funded,
[3:12] how do they continue
on to get that support?
[3:14] And it just gives them
a platform of exposure
[3:16] and some experience that they need.
[3:18] - [Barb] We have city staff dedicated
[3:20] to business assistance and
we partner with organizations
[3:23] throughout the metro area
[3:24] to connect businesses
with those resources.
[3:27] But we also have some programs
within the city for that.
[3:30] To get connected with us,
[3:32] you can contact us at
business@bloomingtonmn.gov
[3:36] via email, or you can go to
our website, blm.mn/business.
[3:42] - [Participant] So I think
it's done a great job
[3:43] of supporting me in refining
my skills as an entrepreneur.
[3:47] (pleasant music)
Was this story helpful?
Other Topics from This Document
Hatch Bloomington pitch contest
CEO Start Bootcamp for entrepreneurs
Small business development and support
Business resource access and mentorship
City of Bloomington economic initiatives
Want to know when new stories arrive?
Enter your email to receive updates.
We will not use your email for any other purpose. You can unsubscribe at any time.