By Kayla Sosa Calvin Pimpleton is a 16-year-old student at Innovation Central High School with a passion for business. Last winter, he saw a need in his neighborhood for shoveling services and he wanted a little extra cash in his…
By Kayla Sosa Five entrepreneurs with military background or connection took home prize money at the first showcase and final pitch competition for the Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur Lab. Produced through the Grand Valley State University Center for Entrepreneurship and…
By Kayla Sosa After being immersed into the Portuguese language studying abroad in Brazil, Grand Valley State University student Olivia Seaver was trying to think of ways she could keep up with learning and retaining languages once she came back…
By Kayla Sosa In September, owners of Malamiah Juice Bar and Royal Jelly Foods participated in the Grand Rapids Business Boot Camp Pitch Competition. This endeavor is lead by Michigan Good Food Fund, a “thirty million dollar loan fund created to provide…
The Teen Entrepreneur Summer Academy (TESA) has influenced hundreds of high school students in West Michigan over the course of the past ten years. We recently got in touch with some of our past participants to hear first hand how…
Since 2012, Start Garden has played a large role in Grand Rapids' entrepreneurship ecosystem by giving entrepreneurs a stage to present their ideas to the community while they compete for the opportunity to win $5,000. Neu spoke with Start Garden…
Doomed to Fail Even those who are unfamiliar with business may know the old adage that coffee shops are “doomed to fail." Trevor Corlett, owner of Madcap of Coffee Company in downtown Grand Rapids, suggests that many people who open…
For Latesha Lipscomb, winning 5x5 Night last month was a long time coming. “I wasn’t going to do it,” Lipscomb said. “I had done 5x5 twice in the past, and I had come really close to being able to present, but…
It’s no secret that there are limited employment opportunities for individuals with special needs. In a 2015 survey conducted by the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), 57 percent of respondents with Down syndrome reported working paid…
Voting closed on Wednesday for the top five 5x5 ideas, and those that emerged on top will be presenting at the return of the monthly pitch competition on August 24 at 5:00 p.m. at the LINC Gallery, located at 1167…
