Story perspectives

Clover Funds $1M Million Dollar Pitch Competition in D.C.

9/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

Kelly Loeffler announced a live Million Dollar Pitch Competition in Washington, D.C.
Clover funds the $1 million prize pool, with awards ranging $75,000-$400,000.
Rapper Nicki Minaj, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and investor Grant Cardone serve as judges.
Former Superman actor Dean Cain will host the live final on Sept. 18.
The five finalists are Compotech (Maine), Plas-Tech Tooling (Iowa), Red River (Wyoming), VetPowered (California) and Winton Machine (Georgia).

History

Historical Context

In 2009, the television series “Shark Tank” debuted, introducing a national platform for entrepreneurs to pitch ideas to investors. Mark Cuban contributed $1 million to a contestant in 2012, and the series facilitated over $100 million in venture deals by 2015. Today, Kelly Loeffler's Pitch Competition, backed by Clover with a $1 million prize and judged by Nicki Minaj, Joe Gebbia, and Grant Cardone, mirrors that format. This resurgence of high-stakes pitch events signals intensified public-private collaboration, potentially channeling $5 billion into regional manufacturing and technology innovation nationwide.

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Story summary

Kelly Loeffler announced a live Million Dollar Pitch Competition in Washington, D.C.
Clover funds the $1 million prize pool, with awards ranging $75,000-$400,000.
Rapper Nicki Minaj, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia and investor Grant Cardone serve as judges.
Former Superman actor Dean Cain will host the live final on Sept. 18.
The five finalists are Compotech (Maine), Plas-Tech Tooling (Iowa), Red River (Wyoming), VetPowered (California) and Winton Machine (Georgia).

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