Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council hosts Ignite SparkNIGHT

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council will be the host of Ignite SparkNIGHT at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 in the Rialto in downtown Hannibal. 

Local entrepreneurs and small business owners will gather to pitch their businesses to investors. The event is open to the public. Ignite connects entrepreneurs with each other and with capital that can assist in starting or expanding their small businesses in the Northeast Missouri region.

Maria Kuhns, entrepreneurship specialist with Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council and program administrator of Ignite, said in a press release several local entrepreneurs with great ideas only need access to capital. SparkNIGHT is one way to help small business owners find that capital in the form of private investment, bank loans, cash from family and friends, personal savings or other sources. The SparkNIGHT event brings the regional business community together so available money can go to work in these growing young companies.

According to a United States Small Business Administration report, small businesses employ 47 percent of all private sector employees and accounted for 62 percent of all net new jobs between 1995 and 2020.

Each presenting entrepreneur has completed the planning process and has an opportunity to meet with investors and lenders with the capital needed to move business to the next level. The public also will hear about new business opportunities.

Ignite began in 2020 as an entrepreneurial development program to help entrepreneurs and small businesses from startup to succession. The program provides a supportive culture, access to capital, networking opportunities, and business and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in Marion, Ralls, Pike, Lewis, Clark, Monroe and Shelby counties. 

More information on the event can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/3298722617111451.

Ignite is a partnership between Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council, the Small Business Development Center, and the Hannibal Chamber of Commerce. It is dedicated to creating an ecosystem that attracts, creates, supports and accelerates new and existing businesses in Northeast Missouri.