Comerica Hatch Detroit announces 10 semifinalists for $100K award

2022-06-18 17:41:30 By : Mr. Landy ou

A ping pong club and a dumpling shop are two of 10 Detroit businesses announced as semifinalists in the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, a competition that awards $100,000 toward a brick-and-mortar location for the winner. 

Now, the semifinalists' fate is in the public's hands, as voters will now decide which four businesses make it to the finals by voting daily at hatchdetroit.com/vote. The last day to vote is June 23. 

Named in an announcement this evening, here are the 2022 semifinalists:

Colfetarie: Dessert shop bringing Romanian flavors to Detroit. 

Craig's Coffee: Community space to roast, sell and serve coffee.

Detroit Farm and Cider: Commercial farm planning to build a cider mill and offer camps and horseback riding classes. 

Gajiza Dumplins: Asian-street-food-inspired dumpling shop that sells fast food made from scratch. 

Jo's Gallery Cafe: Pan-ethnic restaurant and art space that will specialize in dishes with African origin and Asian, South American, Caribbean, Mediterranean and American influences.

K. Walker Collective: Fashionable clothing lined geared towards young professionals.

Lily's & Elise: Decadent high tea experience inspired by European afternoon tea time. 

Little Liberia: Liberian pop-up that serves authentic dishes with multicultural influences

Motor City House of Stone: Stone slab distributor with an inventory of natural and engineered slabs. 

Pong Detroit: Community table tennis club that encourages players of all abilities and ages to come together.

Once voting for the semifinalist round is complete, the finalist will be announced and another round of voting runs until June 30. 

The four finalists will pitch their businesses to a live panel of judges on July 21 at 7 p.m. Chosen by a combination of public voting and panelist input, The Hatch Off competition winner will be announced that evening.

Tickets to see the pitches and announcement of the winner live are available at hatchdetroit.com/events. 

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In Thursday's announcement, Hatch Detroit's executive director, Vittoria Katanski, attributed much of the contest's popularity to community involvement. She said, "every vote [the businesses] receive is someone saying 'I want you in my neighborhood and will support you,' which is incredibly powerful."

According to Hatch Detroit, those involved in the contest have opened 49 businesses that have invested over $7 million and employed over 500 people. 

More information about the contest is available at hatchdetroit.com/contest.