Nicki Minaj to Judge Trump Administration's $1 Million Small Business Pitch Competition

The Trump administration has selected rapper Nicki Minaj to serve as a celebrity judge for the Small Business Administration's Million Dollar Pitch Competition, a Shark Tank-style event scheduled for September 18 in Washington, D.C. Minaj will join entrepreneur Grant Cardone and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia on the judging panel, while actor Dean Cain will host the live finale.

The competition will feature five small business finalists pitching their companies for a share of $1 million in growth capital. The prize pool, funded by financial technology company Clover Network, Inc., will be distributed as follows: $400,000 for first place, $250,000 for second, $150,000 for third, $125,000 for fourth, and $75,000 for fifth. The finalists are Compotech, Inc. of Brewer, Maine; Winton Machine of Suwanee, Georgia; PlasTech Tooling of Garner, Iowa; Red River of Gillette, Wyoming; and VetPowered LLC of San Diego, California.

SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler framed the event as part of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations. "As our nation marks its 250th anniversary, the SBA is celebrating America's legacy of free enterprise through the Million Dollar Pitch Competition, a historic...