A coffee shop, a restaurant, a composting company… what do these local businesses have in common?

On Tues., Oct. 18, they’ll compete for:

One grand prize of $50,000
One first place prize of $20,000
Three runners-up prizes of $10,000

… to support + expand their small business at Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union’s fifth annual Idea Leap Grant pitch competition.

Meet the five finalists (coming from an original pool of nearly 150 applicants):

To kick off the celebration, TVFCU is hosting the first-ever Idea Leap Luncheon at 11:30 a.m at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center featuring a panel of successful local entrepreneursdiscussing their experiences as small business owners.

The festivities continue with the Chambliss Startup Social — an indoor/outdoor reception at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center —at 5 p.m. followed by the pitch competition at 6:15 p.m.

Enjoy drinks + hors d’oeuvres from Party Bites and Hutton & Smith’s craft beers (plus a DJ). Pro tip: All events are free but an RSVP is required due to limited seating.

What to expect on pitch night

The pitch competition will start at 6:15 p.m., and by the end of the evening, the five grants from TVFCU will be awarded.The five finalists will present their businesses before a panel of volunteer community judges + explain:

How they plan to use the grant funding
The impact they have on the local community
How they plan to improve and expand their business in the coming years

Idea Leap Grant by the numbers

The Idea Leap Grant is an extension of the credit union’s Idea Leap Loan Initiative that was created specifically for small businesses in 2016.

To date, TVFCU has:

Funded more than $4 million in loans to emerging and early-stage businesses through the loan initiative
Awarded nearly $200,000 in Idea Leap Grants + scholarships 👏*