Originally uploaded July 3rd, reloaded July 13th.
Jeffrey Mosher welcomes Paul Moore, Director, Start Garden, Grand Rapids, MI.
Welcome Paul, remind us about Start Garden and your "The 100"?
'The 100' has traditionally focused on early-stage startup ideas. What prompted Start Garden to redesign the competition to serve businesses at multiple stages of growth and connect them with different types of capital?
This year’s program brings together lenders, investors, grant makers, and corporate partners under one umbrella. How does that broader funding ecosystem create more opportunities for Michigan entrepreneurs?
The competition now centers on an entrepreneurial “sprint” tied to a specific business milestone. Why is that approach valuable, and what kinds of measurable results are you hoping participants will achieve?
Existing businesses are now a major part of the program, not just startups. How does this change expand the impact of The 100 for established companies looking to grow, hire, or scale operations?
With more than $500,000 in potential funding opportunities, live funding announcements at Demo Day, and strong participation from underrepresented entrepreneurs, what role do you see The 100 playing in strengthening West Michigan’s broader business and innovation economy?
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Start Garden reimagines annual entrepreneur competition by adding funding partners, expanding reach beyond startups and boosting funding opportunities to more than $500,000
Applications opened June 1 for a revamped 100 with a bigger pipeline for business owners and capital providers and a new format
(GRAND RAPIDS, MI) — Start Garden today announced a major evolution of The 100, its eight-year-old annual entrepreneur competition that has connected more than 800 Michigan founders with funding and community resources. For the first time, the organization is bringing together multiple capital providers to fund multiple types of businesses at different stages, a shift from the event's historical focus on new business ideas. With the addition of external partners, The 100 will up its funding opportunities to more than $500,000, introduce a "sprint" process, and expand the people giving out money at the culminating event, Demo Day.
Joining Start Garden in the new iteration of The 100 is what the organization calls Capital Partners that will help support up to $500,000 in corporate contracts, loans, shared revenue agreements, venture capital, and, as before, small catalytic grants to entrepreneurs at every stage.
The 2026 Capital Partners include:
GROW (small business loans)
Opportunity Ventures (shared revenue agreements)
Union Heritage (venture capital)
Meijer (first-customer contracts for food and consumer product companies)
Start Garden (grants)
Applications for The 100 open June 1 at 100.startgarden.com. The application is still as simple as recording a 100-second video, but now includes a brief explanation about what stage the business is at. Start Garden will also host three community pop-up events this summer, where entrepreneurs can submit pitches in person with assistance.
2026 Key Dates
June 1 — Applications open at 100.startgarden.com
July 12 — Submissions close (11:59 PM)
July 21 — 100 semi-finalists announced
August 7–9 — Mandatory Bootcamp at Start Garden, Grand Rapids
August 10 — 50 finalists announced, sprint begins
October 8 — Sprint ends, Executive Summaries due
October 22 — Demo Day at Start Garden, Grand Rapids
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