City of Saginaw, Michigan

October 30, 2023 SAGINAW, MI – It’s almost time for the Saginaw Soup Pitch Competition, and residents are reminded that they can help select this year’s winner.

The entrepreneurial pitch competition will be held on Thursday, November 2 at 6 pm, at the CMURC at the SVRC Marketplace, 203 S. Washington Avenue. The event will highlight local entrepreneurs as they pitch their small business idea to a panel of judges and audience members. For a $5 entry at the door, guests can vote for their favorite entrepreneurial idea. Free samples from local Saginaw restaurants will also be available for guests that evening.

The goal of Saginaw Soup is to support local entrepreneurs that have a dream and a vision for their business, but need help to bring it to fruition. Saginaw Soup’s 1st place winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize, 2nd place is a $1,500 cash prize, and the 3rd place winner receives a free weekend pop-up space at SVRC Marketplace. The audience will vote for the People’s Choice winner, who will be given the total of entry fees collected at the door!

Saginaw Soup is a collaborative effort between Saginaw Future, Saginaw Economic Development Corporation, the Small Business Development Center, Saginaw Chamber of Commerce, CMURC, City of Saginaw and Saginaw DDA. The event is sponsored by Huntington Bank. 

Cassi Zimmerman, Director of Planning and Economic Development for the City of Saginaw, commented on the event’s efforts, “Saginaw Soup works to inform entrepreneurs and visionaries of the resources that are available to help develop their business idea. We walk these entrepreneurs through the development of a business plan, including hosting trainings on speaking about the problem they are solving, a marketing plan, competition, and financials. Entrepreneurs leave the program with the tools to stabilize and grow their business.”

For more details, contact Rachel Morneau at Saginaw Future at (989) 757-2102.

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