Accelerate 2023
February 22, 2024
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Accelerate is a high-energy civic pitch competition held each year in February by Cleveland Leadership Center. This Shark Tank-style event gives individuals across Northeast Ohio the chance to win seed money to help launch their idea to make Cleveland a better place to live, work, play, and visit. The event provides these individuals with a platform to share their vision with hundreds of community leaders who have connections and resources that could help make them a reality.
Applicants are selected to pitch in one of five categories and a panel of judges drawn from community leaders select one finalist in each category. The five finalists pitch again to the full audience, which votes on the winner. The winner receives $5,000 and the remaining five finalists each receive $2,000 to help bring their ideas to life. Technovation, a separate competition, will award $3,500 to the most innovative technology-based idea.