The Soldotna Chamber of Commerce is bringing back the Spark Soldotna Small Business Scholarship Program. This Friday, November 12th at the Lone Moose Lodge at 5:30 p.m. the 2nd Spark Soldotna ‘Shark Tank’ event will take place. Each presenter will have ten minutes to pitch to the Sharks and audience, followed by up to 10 minutes of questions and answers. This event is in conjunction with Alaska Startup Week, giving new and established entrepreneurs the opportunity to present new or enhanced business products or ideas to Soldotna’s own ‘sharks’.
Shannon Davis, Executive Director for the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce told KSRM:
“This will be the second year that we’ve done this. The first year was in 2019. This is an opportunity for either an existing business or a business that is wanting to launch to get started to snag $4,000. This is a cash prize. There’s no limits to how it can be spent. This is to help turn your new business ideas into a reality. Applications will be reviewed by an internal Soldotna Chamber team including board members. Then, selected applicants will be asked to come present their business idea or product in person at the Spark Soldotna business event that we will hold.”
Of the 12 applications, three were selected to move on to the live presentation round. They include:
- Alaska Rod Co. – Matthew Crowe
- Matia Co. Pottery – Courtney Matiaco
- Delana Music – J. Delana Green
Davis says that this is a ‘Shark Tank’ style event:
“In 2019, we had five businesses that came and presented. We had five ‘sharks’ that watched the presentations along with the audience. They gave recommendations. They gave feedback on the business ideas. They convened and selected one business to win $4,000 in cash. We are super excited to be bringing this back this year.”
The criteria to apply and participate states that primary business operations must be within 50 miles of Soldotna city limits. Your business idea or pitch could be anything from a new business venture, a new product you are trying to launch, or even a new on-line marketing strategy that will benefit your business and/or the area. The selected applicants must be prepared to present their business idea and/or product in person to the Spark Soldotna Business Scholarship Selection Committee this Friday evening.