PITTSFIELD — Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County will celebrate the nine graduates of the 2023 Spring Accelerator Program and award nearly $7,000 in seed capital at its Showcase and Gala at Hot Plate Brewing Company on Thursday, June 8 at 5:30 p.m.

EforAll Berkshire County began its seventh accelerator in February and will celebrate the nine businesses that have completed this intensive program. They spent 12 weeks learning from experts on a variety of topics about business. With the help of 27 volunteer mentors, the entrepreneurs have developed plans to build and sustain their businesses.

The ceremony will feature pitches from the nine graduates, a speech presented by one of the graduating cohort members, and distribution of the $7,000 prize pool. Prior to the ceremony, the graduates have been invited to table and showcase their businesses as well as sell goods between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m.

PITTSFIELD — Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County awarded $13,000 in prizes to the fall 2022 Business Accelerator cohort at an awards ceremony held at the Berkshire Innovation Center on Jan. 12.

The showcase kicked off with 16 businesses sharing their product or service during networking and dinner, catered by MadJacks BBQ. Following the showcase, the gala opened with remarks from long-time EforAll volunteer and mentor Diana Wall. The class speaker, Tiffany Wilding-White, followed. She was chosen by her colleagues and shared many of the lessons of the program and plans for the 2022 cohort.

The awards were granted as follows:

• $500 to Dana Grieb of Bumblebee Pet Care in Pittsfield received the Paula Buxbaum Award, established in honor of a member of the fall 2021 cohort who passed away during her time in the program. This award in Buxbaum’s memory is granted to an individual making a career pivot and incorporating a social mission into their business;

• $1,000 to Molly Racette of Herbellion/Molly and Herbs in North Adams;

• $2,000 to Lisa Mendel of Mendel’s Stained Glass Art Studio in Adams;

• $2,000 to Julie Haagenson of New Pathways Coaching and Consulting in Pittsfield;

• $2,000 to Tiffany Wilding-White of Mind Over Motion in Lee;

• A $2,500 award sponsored by the Lee Bank Foundation to Christina Meucci of the Recovery Room in Pittsfield; and

• $3,000 to Michelle Marrocco and Tiffany Boyden of Berkshire Pup People in North Adams.

EforAll’s next Business Accelerator class will begin in 2023, with applications due on Jan. 25. Applications may be found at eforall.org/berkshire-county.

PITTSFIELD — Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County will celebrate the graduates of the 2022 fall accelerator program and award $12,500 in seed capital, which includes a $2,500 award from the Lee Bank Foundation, at the Berkshire Innovation Center on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m.

EforAll Berkshire County began its sixth accelerator in September and will celebrate the 19 individuals (representing 13 businesses) completing the intensive program. They spent 12 weeks learning from experts on a variety of topics about business. With the help of 38 volunteer mentors, the entrepreneurs have developed plans to take their businesses to the next level.

The ceremony will feature remarks by EforAll mentor and local business owner Diana Wall, a speech presented by one of the graduating cohort members, and distribution of the $12,500 prize pool. Prior to the ceremony, EforAll alumni from all six cohorts have been invited to table and showcase their businesses. The event is catered by MadJacks BBQ.

Pre-registration is encouraged. To register, visit bit.ly/GalaShowcaseJan12.

PITTSFIELD — Entrepreneurship for All Berkshire County is coordinating a half-day Business Resource Expo on Tuesday, Aug. 9 at the Stationery Factory in Dalton.

A collaborative effort of EforAll, 1Berkshire, Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corp., and the Berkshire Regional Planning Council, this event will feature booths from more than 25 organizations that support small business, panel discussions, and plenty of opportunities for networking.

Business owners and managers will be able to connect with organizations and programs that have resources to help them, whether with technical assistance, funding or grant programs, marketing, or other advice or support. The program will be valuable for existing businesses, would-be entrepreneurs, and solo service providers and consultants.

Participants will be able to access experts through a series of panel discussions led by regional experts, including “Which Organization Can Help Me with What?” moderated by Ben Lamb of 1Berkshire; “Fueling Your Business: Where’s the Money?” moderated by Raymond Lanza-Weil of Common Capital; and “How Can I Find More Customers…What Marketing Works?” moderated by Noah Cook-Dubin of Kanoa Consulting.

The event will be inside at the Stationery Factory on Flansburg Avenue in Dalton. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., and the event will conclude by 1 p.m. A networking area will be open throughout the event for one-on-one conversations and meetings. Admission is free of charge, but pre-registration is required at bcbizexpo.com.

PITTSFIELD — Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County is holding an All Ideas Pitch Contest on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at Crissey Farm, 426 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The venue requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event.

EforAll held two successful in-person pitch contests at Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield in October 2019 and at the Green in North Adams in February 2020, attracting more than 100 community members and dozens of participants for each event. Three virtual pitch contests were also held during the pandemic.

Described as “Shark Tank without the teeth,” EforAll’s free, family-friendly event features networking, a business showcase, a light dinner, and then pitches from eight contestants.

Each participant is given two and a half minutes to pitch a business or nonprofit idea to a panel of judges and the audience. At the end, EforAll gives away seed money to help launch these ideas. The first-place finisher wins $1,000, second place wins $750, third place wins $500, and the audience favorite wins $500.

Pre-registration is required at bit.ly/Attend_PitchContest.

Business startups (whether or not they participate in the Pitch Contest) are encouraged to apply for Berkshire County’s next Accelerator in the spring of 2022. This free, 12-week, intensive training program is taught by community mentors and volunteers who lend their expertise and experience to these budding entrepreneurs.

PITTSFIELD — The public is welcome to watch and vote for their favorites at Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County’s virtual Spring Pitch Contest on Thursday, May 20 at 6 p.m. on Zoom. The event is co-sponsored by 1Berkshire and encourages would-be entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and compete for cash prizes.

Nine contestants will be pitching, including Brian Pearson (Adventure East: outdoor adventures), Justin Allen (Beehive Media: Berkshire videos), Eugene Carr (Berkshire Busk! street festival), Marlee Tyska (Berkshire GreenLeaf & Wellness: outdoor hikes), Nicholas Russo (Crosswalk Coffee: bike-powered coffee cart), Leslie Woodward (Edenesque: atisanal nutmilk), Lindsey Mancari (Holistic Collective in the Shire: wellness center), Sarah Real and Mike Dell’Aquila (Hot Plate Brewing Co.: craft brewery), and Douglas Seaburg and Brian Barde (ShantyShare: ice-fishing shanties).

Registration is required by clicking here.