Local artisans and makers will present their best pitches for potential funding at the Creative Catapult event, Friday, Oct. 12, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bit Factory, 536 S. Main St.
Hosted by Crafty Mart, the evening will feature entrepreneurs from Akron’s local artisan and handmaker community who have honed and polished their business plans using Crafty Mart’s Crafty Canvas. The crowd in attendance will watch videos of the participating makers’ business pitches and vote for their favorites. The winning entrepreneur will receive a $2,000 microgrant to help with startup costs.
Crafty Canvas is led by LaunchNET Venture Advisor at Kent State University, Tabitha Martin, and John Myers, entrepreneur in residence at Mount Union College. Martin and Myers will help guide the process and encourage creatives to think about their key partners, customers, revenue streams and activities. Creative entrepreneurs will begin to build a business plan for their future endeavors.
As part of Creative Canvas, entrepreneurs will also create concise business pitches. Participants will lock in their business plans with the provided feedback and one-on-one time. The top eight to 10 pitches will get a chance to participate in the Oct. 12 Creative Catapult to win a grant for their creative business.
No matter your reasons for being a maker, it is important to know if your creative business idea is potentially sustainable, according to Crafty Mart, which adds that by going through the steps to evaluate your creative venture and knowing where you stand as a business, you’ll have a way to make decisions about what to do and where to go next.
Those interested in participating for a chance to win $2,000 toward a creative business idea may purchase tickets for Crafty Canvas by visiting http://ticketstripe.com/craftycanvas.
