Lowe’s teams up with Daymond John for virtual pitch competition

A home improvement giant and a “Shark Tank” star are offering small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) a chance to get national distribution.

Lowe’s Companies and Daymond John are inviting SMBs to apply for a new virtual pitch competition, “Making it…With Lowe’s.” (Lowes.com/MakingItWithLowes) From Sept. 15-25, SMBs can apply for a chance to have their products sold on Lowes.com and in Lowe's physical stores.

After Lowe's identifies an initial 375 SMBs, the pool will narrow to 75 who will be invited to submit more in-depth stories via video. The search will culminate in a one-day virtual pitch challenge hosted by Daymond John, where five diverse small business owners will pitch their product "live" to the Lowe's CEO and other executives for the chance to become a “Making It… With Lowe’s” small business partner. Leading up to the pitch, Daymond John will mentor the group.

Categories being considered include farm and ranch equipment, microban or antimicrobial products, accessible home, touchless products, home gardening, home décor products, and more. The finalists will be announced and featured on Lowes.com later this year, and the results will be revealed on Lowe's social channels in early 2021.

"When Lowe's introduced our grant program for minority-, women- and rural-owned small businesses impacted by the pandemic earlier this year, we were humbled by the overwhelming response for the grants and we were impressed by the creativity, passion and vision from hundreds of thousands of applicants – and we instantly knew we wanted to do more," said Lowe's president and CEO Marvin R. Ellison. "Offering our customers greater access to products being created by diverse small business owners allows Lowe's digital and physical shelves nationwide to better reflect the diverse communities we serve and ensures our customers have access to the most innovative and valued home improvement products in the marketplace."

"Making It With Lowe's is giving these minority-owned businesses a much-deserved chance to shine while uncovering unique, smart products that will make Lowe's shelves even more appealing to customers," said Daymond John. "The pandemic has created a situation where business owners are constantly pivoting and deepening their creativity and problem-solving abilities, especially minority-owned businesses who have more at stake, more to lose. I can't wait to get started."