RALEIGH, N.C. (May 16, 2024) – Wake Tech celebrated small business owners and emerging entrepreneurs who are making their dreams of owning a small business a reality.
Wake Tech's Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business hosted the Main Street Entrepreneur Accelerator (MSEA) Pitch Competition. Four student entrepreneurs presented their business ideas to a panel of judges, and four LaunchWakeCounty alumni presented their plans for expanding their businesses. All participants won, with students receiving grants and business owners taking home cash.
Quinton Crosson Taylor, a Wake Tech student and 2023 Wake Tech Idol winner, won a $35,000 grant for his Taylor Music Academy in Zebulon, which teaches music and performance to children. He plans to use the money to buy more instruments and provide scholarships. Taylor, who attended Wake Tech's Music Business for Entrepreneurs class last year and has also won a small grant, said his music education business is booming.
“A freshman called out to me on the way here today,” he said, “I'm so excited to be able to expand Taylor Music Academy to even more kids!”
Three other students, Travis Brockington, Faryal Ahmed and Nakya Carter, also received grant funding.
Four LaunchWake County winners received grant funding, including Arianna Nestor of Remedy Cocktail Company in Holly Springs, who plans to use her $35,000 award to grow her business, which features handcrafted, all-natural cocktail bitters.
The pitch competition is the culmination of the Main Street Entrepreneurs Accelerator (MSEA) program, an innovative initiative that helps emerging entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses. Participants complete a series of small business training sessions on a variety of topics and receive coaching and mentoring to hone their business skills.
“Wake Tech offers great educational programs, and MSEA is next level,” said Chris Weeks, senior director of entrepreneurship at Wake Tech. “We want to help entrepreneurs develop the confidence and abilities they need to develop successful businesses, which benefits the entire community.”
The MSEA program is open to student entrepreneurs from Wake Tech, Shaw University, and St. Augustine's University, as well as eligible small business owners in the region. This was made possible through a personal donation from Mike Conlon, founder and CEO of Affordable Communities Group LLC, and a grant from Wells Fargo. Mr. Conlon, who is also a former chairman of the Wake Tech Foundation Board of Directors, recently gave the university the largest individual gift in its history. Wake Tech's future location in Apex will be named Wake Tech Conlon Western Campus. Mr. Conlon has committed more than $1 million to support Wake Tech's small business programs and entrepreneurship, and was honored to name Conlon Hall on the Scott Northern Wake Campus.
The event also included the second annual Bizzy Awards, recognizing up-and-coming entrepreneurs who have completed Wake Tech’s Entrepreneurship for Skilled Trades and Professionals (ESTP) and LaunchWakeCounty programs.
Taylor Music Academy named Rookie Business of the Year. LaunchKnightdale won Cohort of the Year.
The ESTP course teaches early stage entrepreneurs how to launch their businesses. LaunchWakeCounty supports and develops entrepreneurs and small businesses in under-resourced communities across the county. To date, LaunchWakeCounty has impacted 2,000 small businesses.
