By Wyoming-Kentwood News Today Staff
greer@wktv.org
Start Garden’s open competition for business startups, The 100, will wrap up its eighth season at Demo Day on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 9 p.m. at its new downtown Grand Rapids headquarters (2 Fulton Street West, Grand Rapids).
At this event, Grand Rapids’ top 50 entrepreneurs take over the venue to showcase their businesses, demonstrate their latest products, and compete for up to half a million dollars in opportunities.
In June, Start Garden announced a major evolution of The 100, its nine-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 different types of businesses at different stages, shifting from the event’s historical focus on new business ideas.
With the addition of external partners, The 100 will increase its funding opportunities to more than $500,000, introduce a “sprint” process, and expand the number of people giving 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)
“Entrepreneurs were using the 100 to connect to capital, so we decided to bring as much capital from as many partners right into the beginning,” said Laurie Supinski, Co-Director, Start Garden. “Now the 100 is not just about winning a small cash award, but can be where you land your first major contract or investor.”
Also new for the 2026 competition, existing businesses are not just eligible—they’re central to the program’s vision. Partners offering loans, shared revenue agreements, and venture capital can work with businesses already generating revenue, not just idea-stage startups.
Since its inception, Start Garden has served thousands of entrepreneurs. The 100 has historically had strong participation from underrepresented communities, with 75% of participants identifying as women or minorities. Start Garden alumni have expanded products into Meijer and other major U.S. retail chains, grown small business ideas to more than $10 million in revenue, and built tech companies across Michigan and beyond that have grown or been acquired by other organizations.
EVENT OVERVIEW
Who: Start Garden and 50 finalists
What: Demo Day 2026
When: Thursday, Oct. 22, 5 to 9 p.m.
Where: Start Garden, 2 Fulton Street West, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Agenda: Public Expo from 5 to 7 p.m. on the 4th and 5th floors. Awards from 7- to 9 PM in the Theatre.
Cost: Admission is free and open to the public.