The Right Place launches entrepreneurial pitch competition to bolster business growth in rural West Michigan counties

The Right Place, Inc. announces MIPitch, a new entrepreneurial pitch competition targeting Montcalm and Ionia businesses. Entrepreneurs, business owners and dreamers living in these two counties will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes at a September 21 event at Candlestone Resort in Belding. The goal is to help launch new businesses and cultivate entrepreneurial growth in the two counties.

“Entrepreneurship continues to be critical to the success of rural communities, especially as they continue the economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Travis Alden, Business Development Director, The Right Place, and coordinator of MIPitch. “When people start and grow businesses, they contribute to the economic diversity of their area. These unique local businesses become differentiators for their communities. Our goal is to help strengthen business growth in Ionia and Montcalm counties.”

Submissions for MIPitch are being accepted at www.rightplace.org/mipitch now through August 20. Business ideas can range from brand new business concepts to catalytic additions for existing businesses and can come from someone with a simple dream or an established business owner. No idea is too small or too big, but it does need to be new and exciting.

A committee of local business and community leaders will review and score all submissions and select five finalists to present their pitches at the September 21 event. All five finalists will be awarded cash prizes.

The public is welcome to attend this free event, which is being held in conjunction with business after-hours events by local partners Ionia Area Chamber of Commerce, Belding Area Chamber of Commerce and Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce. RSVP information will be announced at a future date.

MIPitch is based on another Right Place pitch event, Pitch North, which was created in 2019 to help entrepreneurs in Newaygo, Oceana, and Lake Counties.

“We know that individuals living in rural areas often have less access to funding and resources to pursue these endeavors, so Pitch North was created to change that,” Alden added. “That event has seen great success in its three years, as it’s helped launch more than a dozen new businesses and fostered new entrepreneurial ecosystem in those counties, so we hope MIPitch has the same outcomes.”

MIPitch is presented by The Right Place, Inc. in partnership with the Ionia County Economic Alliance and the Montcalm Economic Alliance. The presenting sponsor is Consumers Energy. Additional generous supporters include Isabella Bank, Michigan One Community Credit Union, The Daily News, Candlestone Resort, Mercantile Bank, Montcalm Community College, and the United Way of Montcalm & Ionia Counties.