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.