The Original Light Beer is Looking for America’s Top Original Business Idea

Miller Lite Tap the Future® is Back; Business Partners to Compete for $300K Prize Pool

CHICAGO (February 6, 2014) – Miller Lite Tap the Future is searching for great friends with great business ideas. Teams of entrepreneurs eager to grow their business can compete for a chance to win part of a $300,000 prize pool and receive expert advice from Daymond John of ABC’s “Shark Tank.” The competition launched today and the deadline to apply is April 6, 2014.

Business partners will compete in a three-phase contest:

1.     Starting today through April 6, 2014, entrepreneurs 21 and older can apply by submitting their business information through http://www.MLTaptheFuture.com.

2.     Twenty-five semi-finalists will be selected to compete in live pitch events in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia starting June 3. John and a panel of expert judges will select one business in each city to win $20,000 and advance to the national finals.

3.     The five finalists will present before a national panel of judges in Chicago in August. One team will win the $200,000 grand prize.

Miller Lite Tap the Future’s launch in 2013 garnered more than 2,000 entries, with a business founded by Notre Dame Alums Sean O’Brien and Evan Wray taking the grand prize. Together they founded TextPride, a company that makes stickers and emojis that mobile messaging apps can include as a part of their services.

“Miller Lite Tap the Future was an amazing experience. Not only did we win a total of $280,000 but we met Daymond John and received great feedback from some of the top minds in business,” said O’Brien. “We’ve been friends since college and always knew we had a great business idea. Thanks to Miller Lite, we can now take our business to the next level!”

The additional finalist teams that won part of the prize pool include Elebev, company that creates transparent ice spheres that are served in a glass without any physical contamination; Hoopla.io, an event marketing company that provides local businesses with a central place to promote their events; Borne Digital, creator of adaptive reading platform that uses technology to personalize learning and improve the effectiveness of teachers; and the Larell One Step Denture, creators of affordable and accessible dentures that empower people to better health.

“Miller Lite brings friends together for great times, which, for many of our consumers, includes coming together to build a business,” said Steve Canal, MillerCoors manager of community commerce and partnerships. “Miller Lite Tap the Future offers teams of entrepreneurs the chance to interact with top business experts and provides the tools and funds to help bring great ideas to life.”

Semi-finalists will have the opportunity to meet several business experts who will serve as judges at the live pitch events. Sitting alongside John will be Aaron Firestein and Raaja Nemani, cofounders of BucketFeet, which produces shoes designed by artists from around the world; Lance Rios, founder of the Hispanic communication platform Being Latino; Roberto Torres, Luis Montanez and Chris Findeisen, creators of the made-in-America apparel brand Black & Denim; Sulaiman Sanni and Ben Lamson, creators of the crowdfunding website WeDidIt; and Neal Gottlieb and Sadie Ash Boggs, creators of the organic ice cream company Three Twins Ice Cream.

Miller Lite Tap the Future has partnered with South by Southwest (SXSW), annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival taking place March 6-12 in Austin, Texas, and the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurship Conference, a premier business conference and networking event taking place May 14-17 in Columbus, Ohio. Each conference will provide entrepreneurs the opportunity to apply for the program, win free mentoring sessions with business experts and RSVP for the Live Pitch Events.

Miller Lite also will align with community partners that focus on entrepreneurship. For official rules and information, visit http://www.MLTaptheFuture.com.

About MillerCoors
MillerCoors brews, markets and sells the MillerCoors portfolio of brands in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers.  MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30 percent of U.S. beer sales.  Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, Coors Light and Miller Lite, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment.  The company offers a variety of leading craft and import brands, including Blue Moon and Leinenkugel’s, through its Tenth and Blake division. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel’s craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., and two microbreweries, the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver.  MillerCoors insists on building its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and environmental and community impact.  MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.  Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.