Minaj, Cain Headline Trump's $1M Pitch Contest
Minaj, Cain Headline Trump's $1M Pitch Contest
The News
The Trump administration is staging a "Shark Tank"-style television competition in Washington on Sept. 18, with rapper Nicki Minaj judging and former "Superman" actor Dean Cain hosting, the Small Business Administration announced.
Five American small businesses will pitch live before a celebrity panel and an audience for a share of a $1 million prize pool put up by payment processor Clover.
Minaj will judge alongside private equity fund manager Grant Cardone and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, who serves as the Trump administration's chief design officer. All four have publicly backed President Trump; Gebbia works for him.
The Money
The SBA calls the event the finale of its Million Dollar Pitch Competition, launched earlier this year as part of the Freedom 250 celebrations for the nation's 250th anniversary.
Every finalist goes home paid. First place takes $400,000, with $250,000, $150,000, $125,000 and $75,000 going to the second through fifth finishers.
The five finalists are Compotech, Inc. of Brewer, Maine; Winton Machine of Suwanee, Georgia; Plas-Tech Tooling of Garner, Iowa; Red River of Gillette, Wyoming; and VetPowered LLC of San Diego.
Timeline
Minaj appears at the White House to help launch Trump Accounts, the administration's tax-advantaged investment accounts for children, and pledges hundreds of thousands of dollars toward them.
Trump praises Minaj at a White House Black History Month event, saying, "She's so beautiful. Her skin's so beautiful ... Her nails, her nails! They're like that long!"
The administration hosts a UFC Freedom 250 card on the South Lawn of the White House.
Cain attends an administration event promoting Trump's "No Tax on Tips" policy.
The SBA unveils the celebrity lineup in a news release.
The live pitch competition takes place in Washington.
Reactions
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said the celebrities "will only add to the excitement of this historic celebration of free enterprise in the finale of our Million Dollar Pitch Competition."
"From building globally recognized personal and business brands and multibillion-dollar portfolios to launching innovative wellness solutions and digital platforms, each brings a unique, real-world perspective on business growth and impact," Loeffler said. She added that their presence "will be invaluable in highlighting the unique and inspiring stories of the five finalists competing for $1 million in growth capital, and the importance of Main Street businesses in powering American strength."
Minaj has explained her turn toward Trump in personal terms. "When I saw how he was being treated over and over and over, I just couldn't handle it," she said on the Katie Miller Podcast earlier this year, comparing the coverage of Trump to "bullying" and "smear campaigns" she says she endured for years.
Cain, who endorsed Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, told Variety in 2025 that "Trump is actually one of the most empathetic, wonderful, generous people you'll ever meet."
What's Next
The competition will air on television and stream online. An SBA spokesman told the New York Post that details on how to watch will be announced soon.
More
The format is an unmistakable echo of "The Apprentice," the NBC reality show Trump hosted from 2004 to 2017 and that is widely credited with building the national profile he carried into the 2016 election.
Freedom 250, the White House-aligned effort behind the anniversary programming, has had a bumpy run. The Independent notes its Great American State Fair drew musician cancellations and weather closures, and the group also staged a Grand Prix in Washington.
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