Written by | Ray Cornelius
I had the pleasure of attending The Miller Lite Tap the Future business plan competition Tuesday night at the Opera Nightclub in the Midtown district of Atlanta, GA. The high stakes event featured five semifinalists from Georgia and the surrounding states who had the opportunity to pitch their small business to Shark Tank’s Daymond John for a chance to win $20,000.
The semifinalists included The Secret Shirt Project, DM3 Ventures Inc., KKD All Natural Sweets Snacks and Mother Earth Produce. Each business was able to pitch their plan and then be evaluated and receive feedback from Daymond and his special judges panel including CEO of Bossip.com and CEO of Moguldom Group, Marve Frazier and Sulaiman “Su” Sanni and Ben Lamson, co-owners of WeDidIt. Senior vice president of marketing for REVOLT, Kenny Burns served as the evening’s host. The semifinalist also pitched in front of a live audience consisting of their family, friends, and Atlanta notables including Shay Johnson from Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, Maja Sly of Cutting It In the ATL and RHOA creator, Princess Banton-Lofters.
“Miller Lite was built from the entrepreneurial spirit and passion of Frederick Miller, in turn, we look to help today’s entrepreneurs stay true to themselves and keep their passions alive,” said Steve Canal, MillerCoors manager of community affairs. “Passion is at the root of what makes a business successful and the pitch is where we get to see that come through. We celebrate entrepreneurship and hope to continue serving our communities by being a resource for small business owners on their paths to success.”
In addition to the semifinalists, Daymond also selected audience members to come up and pitch their business with the hopes of winning a $500 gift card. He also answered a few questions from the audience about business tips, entrepreneurship and more. The evening’s $20,000 winner would not only win but also advance to the national finals where they would compete for a grand prize of $200,000.
Check out the rest of the photos below and find out who won the $20,000:
Tap the Future host Kenny Burns
Daymond with Miller Lite model and Kenny cutting up on stage
The Secret Shirt Project pitching before the judges
DM3 Ventures Inc. pitching before the judges
KKD All Natural Sweet Snacks pitching before the judges
Mother Earth Produce pitching before the judges
The Miller Lite Tap the Future models
Daymond John taking a selfie with the crowd
CONGRATS to Mother Earth Produce!
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com