Case Study: Ignite Brooklyn
Two months. Ten makers. $300,000 in grant funding deployed.
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce reached out to us about the Ignite Brooklyn Pitch Competition. Ten Brooklyn-based makers had already been awarded $25,000 each in initial grant funding through Brooklyn Made. Now they would compete for additional capital. Our job was to make sure they were ready.
What we built
Ignite Brooklyn is a small business grant and pitch competition for Brooklyn-based makers and retail entrepreneurs. It's delivered in partnership with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and Brooklyn Made, and funded by Wells Fargo.
Ten finalists were selected and awarded $25,000 each. From there, our role was to design and deliver the program that would prepare them to compete for additional growth capital — up to $25,000 more for first place, $15,000 for second, $10,000 for third.
Progress Playbook built four things: a business growth coaching curriculum, a pitch coaching track, a 10-slide pitch deck template, and a judging rubric for the competition.
Defending a plan, not memorizing a pitch
Each finalist got six hours of one-on-one business coaching, paired with a coach matched to their industry. Our growth coaches worked across food and beverage, beauty and wellness, stationery and gift, and retail apparel and decor.
The coaching sessions were designed to build progressively toward a defensible pitch deck — moving from financial clarity, to growth strategy, to capital framing, to a deck ready to hold up in front of a judging panel. By the final session, finalists weren't memorizing a pitch. They were defending a plan they understood.
Pitching, before pitching
Once the growth plan and deck were solid, finalists moved into pitch coaching. They worked through a cohort workshop, asynchronous video feedback, and a live rehearsal — running the same pitch through multiple formats so by the night of the competition, nothing about it was new or too challenging. The night itself was the easiest part.
Pitch night at BRIC
On April 14 at BRIC Arts Media, ten makers each delivered a 7-minute pitch followed by 3 minutes of Q&A from the judging panel.
First place ($25,000 additional, $50,000 total): Khareen Georges from Teazert Tea, a loose leaf and RTD iced tea company.
Second place ($15,000 additional, $40,000 total): Theresa Berens from Boss Dotty, a stationery and gift company.
Third place ($10,000 additional, $35,000 total): Shanice Black from Ting A LING LLC, a Caribbean food brand making premium, multi use jerk sauces and marinades.
Every finalist walked away with a fundable pitch and a real plan to grow.
Beyond the check
The numbers tell part of the story
$300,000 in total grant funding deployed across ten finalists
Ten completed growth plans and pitch decks
A 10-slide pitch deck template and judging rubric
The rest of the story is in what the founders said after. Across feedback, four themes came up consistently — clarity, confidence, structure, and support. One participant put it directly: "This program helped me clearly understand my numbers and confidently present my business."
Every finalist walked into the program with a business and walked out with a clearer picture of how to grow it. That doesn't fit on a check. It shows up later in how they negotiate with retailers, talk to investors, and decide where to put their next dollar.
What pitch competitions usually miss
Most pitch competitions reward who tells the best story. The good ones reward who's done the actual work. Ignite Brooklyn was the second kind.
The check is what gets the headline. The clarity is what scales. Progress Playbook was proud to design and deliver this program alongside the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn Made, and Wells Fargo — and we're ready to do it again.