Ian Barrett, right, owner of Fuego Fermentations, is interviewed by Kenny Crumpton of FOX 8 at Greater Cleveland Partnership's 2022 Cleveland Chain Reaction.CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Chain Reaction is once again looking for contestants as the business pitch competition enters its seventh season.The competition is run each year by COSE, the small business arm of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
Contestants are selected each year to participate in a bootcamp where they get prepared to pitch to a panel of judges. Those judges and local investors may also choose to invest more capital in the businesses, the GCP said in a news release. So far the competition has connected contestants to $1.7 million in capital.
The top 20 businesses selected as semifinalists will also get a chance to appear on “Kickin’ it with Kenny” on FOX 8 News.The competition first kicked off in 2017, inspired by the LeBron James’ produced show Cleveland Hustles that aired in 2016. It has run each year except in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the GCP said 126 small businesses have gone through the competition as semifinalists.