Join us Saturday, November 14th, 2026 in celebration of RISE Business Academy Cohort 17 as they compete in a business pitch competition and complete the program with a graduation ceremony. Held on the Citylight Church Midtown.

Lunch and refreshments provided.

Doors open at 12:30PM.

Important:

As always, children are absolutely welcome! We love having families celebrate alongside our participants!

Because this is a longer event, we know it can be a lot for little ones (and some of us bigger ones too😉). Our twelve participants will each have about 12 minutes to pitch their business ideas and answer questions from our judges, all while competing for real funding to help launch or grow their businesses. It's an exciting moment they've worked incredibly hard for, and we want to give each presenter the opportunity to be heard.

We'll have coloring pages available for children (and big “kids” 😉), but we also highly encourage you to bring a few quiet activities they enjoy. Ideas include coloring books, sticker books, Water Wow pads, magnetic drawing boards, books, small puzzles, fidget toys, or headphones.

Your child's presence means a great deal to the participants! They love seeing their families and supporters in the audience. We simply ask that children remain supervised by an adult at all times and that activities stay quiet so everyone can enjoy this special celebration.

RSVP

A special thank you to Cox Communications for their devoted support of the RISE Business Academy!