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Accelerate: Citizens Make Change 2025
February 20 @ 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Event Navigation
Accelerate, emceed by Danita Harris and sponsored by Citizens, is a high-energy annual civic pitch competition. This Shark Tank-style event gives individuals across Northeast Ohio a chance to win seed money to help launch their idea to make the region a better place.
In the first round, presenters pitch their ideas to a panel of community leaders who select one finalist in each of five categories to pitch in the Finalist round to the full audience, which votes for the winner. The winner receives $5,000, and the remaining four finalists each receive $2,000 to help fund their ideas.
Technovation, sponsored by the Cleveland Foundation, is a separate contest at Accelerate for ideas featuring technology. The five selected presenters pitch their idea to a panel of judges with the winner taking home $3,500.
Teen Accelerate: Student Citizens Make Change is a separate competition at Accelerate hosted by the Young Entrepreneur Institute (YEI). Any high school student can apply to pitch an idea that would make a difference in their community. The winner receives $1,000, plus a mentor from a partner organization, the runner-up will receive $500, and the remaining eight finalist teams will win $250. YEI will also be awarding a separate prize to one undergraduate college student who presents in the category competition at Accelerate.
Thursday, February 20, 2025
4:30-8:30 p.m.
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
(300 Lakeside Ave E)
TIMELINE
- 4:00 p.m. Doors open
- 4:30 p.m. Category pitches (Round 1)
- 5:45 p.m. Category pitches (Round 2)
- 7:15 p.m. Finalist competition + awards
Networking throughout the evening
Walk-in tickets
$60 General admission
$30 Student ticket
All ticket levels provide access to the full event. Come for all, or just for part.
Contact Courtney Scullen with questions at (216) 592-2243.
This year, there will also be a selfie station featuring our Showtime Photo Booth photo wall where you can snap photos with friends and colleagues to remember your Accelerate experience.
Make every laugh and smile unforgettable at our event with Showtime Photo Booth, the premier photo booth rental service since 2013. Their innovative 27 photo experiences have been a hit at weddings and corporate events across Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Antonio.
