Boise Entrepreneur Week returns with $150K up for grabs

The popular pitch competition known for helping fledgling businesses get a boost toward funding and operations goals is returning once again with a hefty amount to award to winners.

Boise Entrepreneur Week has opened registration for this year’s pitch competitions taking place from Sept. 20 to Oct. 3. And there’s $150,000 in winnings to the top pitchers.

The two primary pitch competitions ― Main Pitch Competition and Trailmix Pitch Competition ― will award $50,000 to the winner of each and $5,000 to the runners up. Another $50,000 will be awarded through the ancillary pitch competitions that will be announced in the coming months.

The Main Pitch Competition is open to Idaho businesses and nonprofits in any industry, the organizers of BEW stated in a release, and the Trailmix Pitch Competition is open to food and beverage ventures.

“Boise has an amazing ecosystem to support the entrepreneur community,” said Donald Young, the founder and CEO of Rattler Medical, who won last year’s Main Pitch. “The people you will meet along the way that are willing to support you will truly amaze you. For people that are [applying], trust in the process, go with the flow and give it your best.”

Young went on to say that it took him two years to on the Main Pitch stage, “but the community and friend I made along the way have been great. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

Young’s pitch was for his battery-powered LifeHold Cooler, which was designed to transport blood products in remote or high-risk environments safely and efficiently. Rattler Medical has expanded its customer base and raised another $200,000 toward its $1 million “pre-seed” goal since winning last year.

Sabrina Garcia’s Idaho Barkery ― a business which makes chickpea-based dog treats ― won the Trailmix Pitch last year.

“Winning Trailmix was a pivotal moment for Idaho Barkery,” she said. “It gave us the confidence and capital to start scaling in ways we’d only dreamed of before. Since then, we’ve been able to invest in professional branding, packaging, manufacturing research and development, and grow our wholesale presence.”

Garcia called the growth of her company “both energizing and humbling” and how the company’s mission resonates with retailers and customers.

BEW stated that businesses must be registered in Idaho and have less than $1 million in annual recurring revenue to be eligible. Past winners are ineligible to participate in competing in the same competition. Applications for the main competitions are open until June 29.