The BrightStar Foundation, a non-profit angel investor group in Wisconsin, is launching a new pitch competition to provide micro-grants to innovative business ideas developing out of Central Wisconsin.

We want Portage County to win each of these grants, so the IDEA Center in partnership with Ignite and the Portage County Business Council is hosting HATCHSTORMS (ideation workshops and pitch trainings) prior to each of the four open events. We will also continue working with finalists in hopes of bringing the grand prize back to Portage County.

The first ideation workshop will be Thursday, March 23rd from 6:30 to 8:00 with a pitch training for selected HATCH participants on Thursday, April 13th from 6:30 to 8:00.

Ideation workshops are open to anybody interested in developing a business idea. Your idea can be at any phase from non-existent to completed business plan, and you need not commit to HATCH to participate in a HATCHSTORM. 

HATCHSTORM participants will workshop their ideas, focusing on various lenses--value propositions, customer segments, scalability, etc.--to cultivate a distinct and innovative business or product for your proposal. 

Help us grow a better entrepreneurial ecosystem in Portage County! For more information on HATCH, keep reading....

HATCH is a pitch competition for new business ideas. The rules are simple. Pitch ideas are not limited – anything goes – but it’s important to remember this is about moving an idea forward. At HATCH presenters have five minutes to pitch in front of judges and a live audience for the chance to win a $2,000 award and be selected as a semifinalist for the final HATCH event. The audience has a chance to evaluate and vote for their favorite idea alongside the judges. Beyond the prize money, this is your chance to get the business idea that has been rattling around in your head, out in front of a supportive community. HATCH events are fun, highly social and inspirational.

The final HATCH will include all 4 semi-finalists and they will pitch for the grand prize of $10,000 for the most articulated and furthered business idea. There will also be one wildcard slot for anyone presenter that has furthered their business idea. Apply today!

The Deadline for the Stevens Point Pitch is March 31, 2017.

HATCH Events:

April 26, 2017: Stevens Point: Historic Firehouse No. 2 + 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
May 24, 2017: Wisconsin Rapids
June 21, 2017: Wausau
July 19, 2017: Marshfield
October 11, 2017: FINAL HATCH EVENT: TBD