WANT TO WIN

$20,000

TO INVEST IN YOUR BUSINESS IDEA?

(It’s as easy as recording a 100-second video!)

Submit Your Idea Now

Only 46 More Days To Submit Your Idea

Submissions Close: July 8, 2025 12:00 am

Start Here

HOW IT WORKS

Anyone from anywhere in any language can submit an idea—and it only takes 100 seconds! You can submit more than one idea.

Each year, anyone can submit ideas within a 3-month window
Once submissions close, the 100 finalists are announced
$1,000 is awarded to each of the 100 to prepare for Demo Day
Demo Day takes place in person at a local Grand Rapids Venue
$20,000 is awarded to the winners of Demo Day

100 Pop-Up Events

POP-UP @ Founders First Friday

Friday, May 2, 2025

Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Start Garden Café

POP-UP @ SBDC Resource Fair

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Time: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Goei Center
818 Butterworth St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Parking is available behind the building—look for event signage upon arrival

POP-UP @ Incubator Kitchen Open House

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Time: 11:00 AM – 3 PM
Location: Grand Rapids Downtown Market, 435 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

POP-UP @ SURGE in Holland

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Time: 11:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: Next Center, 65 E 7th Street, Holland.

“ The Start Garden 100 is a tremendous opportunity to get your name out as an entrepreneur and to get experience talking with others about your business. As you refine your pitch your vision becomes clearer on what it is you need to do to accomplish your goals. In the end, it’s about being part of the community and creating value. “

– Luciano Hernandez

“Winning Start Garden’s 100 in 2022 was the first real validation of our idea—and of us as founders. That early vote of confidence gave us the push we needed to keep building and showed us we weren’t in it alone. The connections we made through the 100 opened doors into West Michigan’s startup ecosystem and have played a huge role in our growth. I’d encourage any entrepreneur with an idea to pitch—it’s an incredible opportunity to gain exposure, build community, and take your first step forward.“

– Rachel Berkal

“I’m always grateful for Start Garden’s support early on in my founder journey. As you go through the founder’s ups and downs, you learn quickly that community is everything and there are people rooting for you. To the next generation of 100 who will continue to raise the bar for our ecosystem – know that we are here rooting for you to win.”

– Darren Riley, JustAir

“We won the Start Garden 100 in 2022. At the time, we were getting ready to start an accelerator, but didn’t have any capital to work with. Winning the 100 allowed us to be able to buy licenses to some much needed software and cover some travel expenses to get to SXSW where we already had a partnership with Midwest House.”

– Andrea Wallace