Eleven businesses are hoping to impress judges and residents of the Near West Side alike at this year’s Rev-Up MKE.
The entrepreneurial event will return for its ninth year from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 at The Rave/Eagles Club, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
The event initially involved entrepreneurs sharing small business ideas on stage in front of a panel of judges and audience but moved to a more interactive expo-style format in 2025.
As part of Near West Side Week, Rev-Up showcases existing businesses and displays the area’s entrepreneurial spirit, according to Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, executive director of Near West Side Partners, which organizes the event with sponsorship from Town Bank.
“We are not afraid to get out there and to put our dreams and our visions on the line, and our entrepreneurs are the same way,” St. Arnold Bell said.
Event format
After community members get the chance to explore the businesses and vote for their favorite, the program will start at 6:30 p.m., with winners announced around 7:30.
“People really liked the opportunity to connect with the finalists one on one and to kind of have those more personal conversations where they could dive in a little bit deeper on their different offerings,” St. Arnold Bell said.
The first-place prize includes $5,000 for operational costs or business investment, a dedicated retail pop-up space at Concordia 27, 809 N. 27th St., along with business coaching and social media and marketing support.
Second place wins $1,500, and the winner of the Audience’s Choice Award receives $500.
This year’s event program will include an update from The Booth, the interactive photo booth experience that won last year’s competition.
The business benefited from the prize money and using the pop-up space but also from working with Near West Side Partners and its network of connections, said Benjamin Biddle, a software engineer who owns The Booth.
“It allowed us to do a lot of other stuff, including being able to sponsor and personalize The Booth even more,” he said.
Biddle has been working on making The Booth a high-quality experience unlike other photo booths for 17 years, with his partner, Molly Howard, joining as general manager and marketing director in 2020.
The finalists
This year’s finalists include several arts and culture-related business concepts, such as Art as an Outlet Wisconsin, a photography and media education program, and Antonia’s 365 Hip Hop Museum, which houses over 5,000 artifacts.
Casita Prado, a sustainable children’s apparel company, and Milwaukee Mandalas, a layered paper art business, both offer workshops in addition to their products.
There’s also The Baker’s Connection, a Southern-inspired bakery, and The African In Us Boutique, selling African and African-inspired fashion and products.
Service businesses include Jivana Wellness, which offers culturally inclusive wellness care, and Stajah Stunna Enterprises, a professional hair and beauty suite.
Brilliantaires Inc. is a nonprofit workforce training academy with a focus on the medical sector, while Peacemaker Dispute Resolution focuses on mediating family, workplace and tenant disputes.
Senses Yoga School brings yoga, community programming and ecological education to public spaces.
In preparation for the competition, the cohort of finalists toured small businesses on the Near West Side, participated in workshops on financial forecasting and developing a business model and received feedback and advice on their elevator pitches.
“We were also thinking about how would these businesses not only utilize a space like we have at Concordia 27, but how can they have a positive impact in our neighborhood?” St. Arnold Bell said.
Lessons from The Booth
When The Booth tried operating with a brick-and-mortar location in Concordia 27, they realized it was not the right model, Howard said.
“The space was really like an amazing trial run for us because we were just event-based for the most part,” Howard said.
Instead, they used the location as a lab to improve The Booth’s technology and develop new ways to market it.
They put their prize money toward new hardware that required less time and people to set up. Then, Biddle rewrote the software and modernized it to add games and other unique features.
“Our next product is going to basically allow us to put a booth anywhere,” Biddle said.
In addition to speaking at Rev-Up on Wednesday, The Booth took headshots of the finalists and answered questions.
“Set up what your table’s going to look like at Rev-Up and run through scenarios and roleplay and all that stuff because when you get there during that night, it’s going to be a blur,” Biddle said he told the finalists.
Howard’s advice is simple: “My biggest thing is just believe in yourself and your product and your business.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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