The Cleveland Leadership Center’s 11^th annual Accelerate: Citizens Make Change, a civic pitch competition that give participants a chance to win seed money to launch their business concepts, will take place Thursday, Feb. 20 at Huntington Convention Center and emceed by WKYC Studios morning news anchors Danita Harris.

This year, 26 individuals from diverse backgrounds and a variety of life experiences will share their creative ideas to make Cleveland a better place.

The concept of the competition allows civic entrepreneurs to develop and share their visions to improve Northeast Ohio, while offering mentoring and support to advance the ideas. The Cleveland Leadership Center (CLC) and partner Citizens Bank, along with other sponsors, will award the winner $5,000, with four runners up earning $2,000 each. Additionally, the sponsors will provide the winners with connections to help bring their ideas to life.

“Accelerate spotlights one way the Cleveland Leadership Center strives to fulfill our mission to build a continuum of engaged, civic leaders who are committed to Cleveland's excellence,” CLC president and CEO Becky Ruppert McMahon said in a statement. “By providing a platform where innovative ideas can flourish, we empower local entrepreneurs and visionaries to make a tangible impact on their own lives and on Cleveland as a whole.”

Citizens has played a key role in Accelerate for 10 years as the presenting sponsor.

“Citizens is proud to support the Cleveland Leadership Center and each participant in their efforts to strengthen our local communities,” Ohio Citizens commercial market executive and Accelerate co-chair Matt Kuchta said in a statement. “These innovative solutions reflect the passion and vision of our neighbors to drive lasting change. We look forward to the event and helping foster Cleveland's next social entrepreneurs.” 

The pitches
The 26 presenters this year range in age from 16 to 53, and more than 70% represent BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities.

Brittany DeMudd will pitch JuxtaVandalSome of this year’s presenters include Brittany DeMudd with her company, JuxtaVandal, which uses murals to transform middle school bathrooms and other high-traffic school spaces into bright, creative environments to promote self-expression and creating welcoming, inspiring spaces.

“I’m a Cleveland native that has spent my life building a creative life & career,” says DeMudd in her pitch statement. “I want to help beautify spaces and create mindful opportunities for the youth during some of their most vulnerable moments.”

Monica Mullins will pitch The Creative LabMonica Mullins’ The Creative Lab pitch involves a traveling workshop that brings cameras, tablets, and editing software to underserved Cleveland neighborhoods to offer free, hands-on sessions media to bridge the digital skills gap, enabling youth to create positive online content and build portfolios for future job opportunities.

“Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I am a professional entrepreneur and proud multi business owner, focusing on always providing services and resources that help teach and benefit my community, and recently World Wide,” says Mullins in her pitch statement. “My commitment to God is priority and with his guidance and my faith we can all accelerate!”

Timothy Skaggs will pitch Breaking the SilenceTimothy Skaggs’ Breaking the Silence pitch aims to raise awareness, understanding, and respect for Deaf culture, fostering a more inclusive environment for the Deaf community, to increase public understanding of Deaf challenges, advocate for ASL adoption, and improve accessibility across education, entertainment, and social services, as well as amplify Deaf voices.

“I decided to pitch to Accelerate, because Language toward to our Deaf Children/Community is important,” says Skaggs in his pitch statement.

Two additional competitions will take place on Feb. 20. At Teen Accelerate: Student Citizens Make Change, hosted by the Young Entrepreneur Institute, 10 high school finalists will be selected to pitch their ideas on how to make a difference in their communities. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000 and be assigned a mentor, the runner-up will receive $500, and the remaining eight finalists will receive $250.

Technovation includes pitches that leverage technology to address community challenges. The winner receives $3,500.

The details
Since 2015, more than 270 initiatives have been pitched in front of nearly 5,000 Accelerate attendees, resulting in dozens of sustained initiatives.

Last year’s winner was former Lakewood City Schools science teacher, artist, and entrepreneur Laura Balliett’s The Cool School Comics, to encourage even the most reluctant readers respond more positively to comics.

2023 pitch finalist Soundbender Institute, which trains youth to become DJs as an avenue to improve mental health, will return to Accelerate this year to provide music for the evening.

Accelerate 2025 takes place on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Huntington Convention Center from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets to Accelerate 2025 are $50 each; $20 for students.