Nicki Minaj will judge Patriot Pitch Competition finale, where five small businesses will compete for $1m
Nicki Minaj will join the judging panel for the live final round of the Trump administration’s Patriot Pitch Competition, a small business reality competition organised by the US Small Business Administration.
Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the Small Business Administration, announced the celebrity judging panel on August 31, saying the agency was “bringing the boardroom energy to Washington, D.C. and rolling out the red carpet for small biz.”
This is a major, MAJOR KEY 🔑.
Sooooooooooo looking forward to this!!!
Imagine being a part of the Trump Administration’s initiative to support small businesses. Let’s GO!!!!!!!!!! 🎀 https://t.co/ykXLkjQlag
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) August 31, 2026
The rapper will serve as a judge alongside Airbnb co-founder and US Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia and private equity fund manager Grant Cardone. Former Superman actor Dean Cain will host the competition.
The Patriot Pitch Competition began in May as part of the SBA’s Freedom 250 celebrations. Five finalists will compete for a total prize pool of $1 million, with $400,000 awarded to the winner.
The second-place finalist will receive $250,000, while third, fourth and fifth place will receive $150,000, $125,000 and $75,000 respectively. Clover, a point-of-sale company, is providing the prize money.
The five finalists are Compotech, Inc., Plas-Tech Tooling, Red River, VetPowered LLC and Winton Machine.
The competition’s live finale is scheduled to take place on September 18 in Washington, DC. Details about where the final will be televised or streamed have not yet been announced.
