MANITOWOC — Two local entrepreneurs won cash from the Progress Lakeshore Foundation’s Level Up Pitch Contest and will move on to a regional level to spread the word about their business ideas.
Quentin Wood won a $1,000 top award from Progress Lakeshore to take his doggie-training service and continue to build up his business.
And Mikala and Joey DeBone received $500 for their pitch about Little Sips Play Café, which aims to create a safe and engaging play space for kids newborn to 6 years old.
Manitowoc Streetwise
Last week, three local entrepreneurs showcased their business ideas at Progress Lakeshore’s Level Up Pitch Contest, held at the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center. The competition is designed to foster entrepreneur spirit and support emerging businesses.
Contestants each have 4 minutes to convince a panel of judges of the value of their business. They are evaluated on six criteria: the problem they seek to solve, the market for their solution, the unique value of their product, their growth strategy, their team, economic feasibility of their business and the quality of their presentation.
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Wood’s concept, Bodhi Bow Wow, took first place.
According to a news release, his winning pitch centered building a stronger dog community through personalized dog training.
With expertise in behavior modification plans, Wood already has contributed to the training of 60 dogs and helped train 17 service dogs, according to a Progress Lakeshore news release.
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The DeBones came in second place. As third-place winners, Katrina and Barry Buechner collected $250 for their idea of Mosaic, a Christian community center.
Wood and the DeBones will go on to compete against winners from pitch contests held throughout the 18-county New North region. They will compete in the regional NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Contest Nov. 30 at Titletown Tech in Green Bay.
The winner of that event will speak at the New North Summit at Lambeau Field this summer.
Got a tip, question or comment for Streetwise Manitowoc? Contact reporter Patti Zarling atpzaring@gannett.com or call 920-606-2575. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @PGPattiZarling.
