On Thursday, July 9, 2015, lifestyle specialist and senior VP of Revolt TV Kenny Burns took the stage at the Garden Theater in Detroit as the host of the increasingly popular live pitch event, Tap the Future. The energy in the room peaked when Burns welcomed guests with the popular greeting for Detroit natives and affiliates alike “What up doe, Detroit?!” The competition began with an introduction of the contestants and judges, which included CEO and founder of FUBU and star of ABC’s reality television show “Shark Tank”, “The Shark” Daymond John. Other judges on the panel included entrepreneurs Jill Burns and founders of WeDidIt Tech Company Su Sanni and Ben Lampson.
The competition boasted five semifinalist’s which all competed for a chance for one of five participants to pitch their businesses to Burns and judges for a chance to win $20,000 and advance as one of six finalist who will go on to compete for $200,000 of seed money to further develop their business ideas. All entrants participated in a Q&A with the judges following their pitch and earned invaluable feedback and exposure.
The winner of the event was Brian Hill, who pitched his business Jail Education Solutions, a technological platform that comes loaded on prison safe tablets and grants inmates access to educational and vocational resources and courses. Hill will advance as a finalist in the competition and has earned the opportunity to pitch amongst five other finalists from different cities.
For more information on how to enter the Tap the Future live pitch competition, visit www.mltapfthefuture.com.
