Josue Osorto (front, third from right), pitch competition winner from M&T Bank’s Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab, among other officials.
Several Harrisburg-area startup businesses have received a financial boost after participating in a local small businesses training program.
M&T Bank’s Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab recently concluded with a pitch competition, crowning three local businesses as winners.
“The Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab empowers Greater Harrisburg’s entrepreneurs and provides their small businesses with the resources to grow,” said Nora Habig, M&T’s regional president for Central and Western Pennsylvania.
The pitch competition, held on June 21, wrapped up a seven-week business accelerator program that began in May in partnership with the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) at Harrisburg University. During the free program, local minority entrepreneurs attended weekly business classes at HU.
Josue Osorto, founder of Bespoke Vending, won the $6,000 grand prize for pitching his vending machine company that sells popular, trending, nostalgic and hard-to-find snacks from around the world. Osorto, the son of El Salvadoran immigrants living in Hummelstown, started his business in September 2022 and plans to use the funds to purchase more vending machines and create a website.
Coming in second place and winning $4,000 was Corey Dupree, owner of Men Raising Black Boys. BreAna Blount, owner of Bre’s Eats-n-Sweets, won the third-place prize of $2,000.
The Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab launched in 2022 to provide minority small-business owners with free access to resources and education to grow their businesses. Last year, M&T Bank and the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Harrisburg University received the 2022 Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC for its impact on the area.
“Supporting small businesses remains at the core of M&T, and we’re proud to invest in diverse small businesses within the Harrisburg community,” Habig said.
For more information, visit M&T Bank’s website.
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