Hy-Vee plans summit, pitch competition with $45K+ in investments for minority-, women-owned businesses
August 26, 2022 | Startland News Staff
A Midwest supermarket chain announced this week a new event to help showcase its commitment to advancing minority- and women-owned companies at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit is set for Sept. 27 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, courtesy of the Chiefs, and is expected to feature an expo offering resources for small businesses, educational presentations and panel discussions.
A pitch competition for minority- and women-owned businesses is also planned with local entrepreneurs invited to apply for the chance to showcase their products or services during the summit. Selected applicants will present to a panel of judges for the chance to win a $30,000 grand prize as an investment for future endeavors.
Categories for the pitch competition include: economically viable and/or previously tested products or services: food and beverage; product innovation and technology; and health, wellness and beauty.
Click here to submit an application. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Sept. 1.
A panel of judges will select one winner to earn $30,000. Additionally, one first-place winner will be selected from each pitch category (three total) to win $5,000 each. Additional cash investments will be awarded, and select finalists may be invited to participate in a roundtable discussion regarding their product or service following the summit.
“Hy-Vee remains committed to inclusivity by expanding and enhancing product and service offerings that support various needs, lifestyles and backgrounds,” the company said in a press release. “The summit gives local minority- and women-owned businesses the opportunity to grow and prosper, while providing Hy-Vee customers with meaningful solutions to make their lives easier, healthier and happier.”
A majority of the summit (speakers and panel group discussions) will be held at Tower Club East at GEHA Field, in addition to other rooms nearby. The pitch competition is planned for Tower Club West.
Community groups and organizations, area businesses and other professionals interested in supporting or networking with small-business owners are invited to attend the summit at no cost.
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of more than $12 billion annually.
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Cafe Cà Phê returns to the West Bottoms with second location for KC’s popular Vietnamese coffee shop
A Cafe Cà Phê satellite location inside 12th Street Post in the West Bottoms is the perfect step for continuing the mission of Kansas City’s only Vietnamese coffee shop, shared founder Jackie Nguyen. Just shy of the one year anniversary of its Columbus Park space, Cafe Cà Phê celebrated the grand opening of its new…
She wanted to bring her favorite foodie magazine to KC; her mother’s sudden death put this publisher’s plans on the back burner
Lauren Cook’s passion for Edible Communities magazine drove her appetite to revive it in Kansas City, she shared, but an unexpected life change has her hoping to hand the publisher’s apron to someone else. Cook purchased the license to publish the city-specific food magazine — each independently run by publishers in metros across the country…
Digital Sandbox alum earns new round of funding — this time for sports tech; Meet the latest batch of just-funded startups
From making the college admissions process easier for students to summarizing books and podcasts using artificial intelligence, the latest startups to join Digital Sandbox KC are a great example of the creativity of this region’s entrepreneurs, said Jill Meyer. The four newly selected companies are expected to receive up to $20,000 in project funding and…
Her red sauce is dynamite but Ragazza’s owner gives the chef title to her Italian heritage
Family is baked into the core of Laura Norris’ restaurants, she shared, from the Italian recipes served at Ragazza in Westport to the brother-sister duo running the new Enzo Wine Bar and Bistro together in the River Market. She opened Ragazza, which now sits at the corner of 43rd and Main streets, in 2013 and…