Five either established or developing businesses got funding for their concepts during Emporia Main Street’s fifth annual Show of Hands pitch contest Thursday night:
Nearly $20,000 in donor funds were distributed, prompting Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods to say Show of Hands is starting to take root in the community.
Woods also noted a push towards destination-based businesses this year, in part due to the ongoing work between Main Street and Emporia State University through a $750,000 FORGE grant announced last year to increase access to technology, develop local and regional partnerships and use ESU classes to develop entrepreneurial skill sets.
Woods says entrepreneurs are looking at ways to serve local residents while bringing in new clientele from outside the area.
*Juniper and Sage, the refillery and apothecary recently named as Main Street’s incubator business, secured just under $5,000 in cash
*Heartland Hounds, a dog sport, training and wellness business which opened last fall in the 900 block of Commercial, gained over $4,300
*Tallgrass Country Adventures, an experience company offering SUV rentals, curated routes and local destinations, earned over $3,900
*Fuel Your Flight, an “outdoor lifestyle” brand featuring products like apparel, disc golf items, orthopedic gear and nutrition supplements, got over $3,200
*Emporia Counseling Collective, a collaborative mental health business in downtown Emporia, got just under $3,200
Every participating business got $60 in lettering from Coffelt Signs. Juniper and Sage also got over $1,000 in advertising from KVOE.
Participating business owners gave attendees a short business pitch — 10 minutes or less — and then answered questions from the audience. Attendees could vote for their favorite or favorites by purchasing as many $10 tickets as they wanted and then splitting the votes as they saw fit.
In past contests, voting ended with the event. This year, voting continues through Thursday. People can vote online at emporiamainstreet.com.
Entrepreneurs need to open within 18 months or their funds get stored for future contests. Funds awarded through Show of Hands don’t go to participating businesses until the begin incurring business expenses.
