News 5 went inside the Cleveland Browns Stadium Wednesday, where the team hosted its Impact Pitch Showcase event for small local businesses.

Taking part were seven local businesses and their owners who’ve been through the Jumpstart Impact Program, which is a business accelerator model.

Those entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a live audience and a panel of judges, which included Cleveland Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.

The winner, It’s a Wrap, walked away with $10,000 for their business, and all the other participants received $2,500.

Local business owners take part in Cleveland Browns Impact Pitch Showcase event

We can’t emphasize enough how much small businesses play a role in our economy.

At News 5, we told you how much money black and Hispanic-owned businesses bring in, and many of those business owners will be presenting on stage.

Now let’s take a look at some other demographics.

The U.S. Census Bureau found veteran-owned businesses had more than $926 billion in receipts in 2020 and more than 3.5 million employees.

Women-owned businesses made nearly $2 trillion that same year, employing almost 11 million people.

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