Jersey Scoops takes top honor in StartUp Humboldt 'Shark Tank' competition

In a first-time competition the style of the popular television show "Shark Tank," StartUp Humboldt presented $200,000 to a combination of businesses vying for capital in the scale venture and microventure tracks on Thursday night at the Eureka Theater. Six scale venture startups presented along with three of the four finalists in the microventure category, giving the broad strokes of their entrepreneurial endeavors and fielding questions from judges well-versed in the space.

In the scale venture category, local established company Jersey Scoops and their lactose-free, cow-to-cone ice cream from Loleta was the big winner with a check for $125,000.

"Ultimately, when you have a group of people working toward a common goal, there is power in manifestation," Thomas Nicholson Stratton, co-founder of Jersey Scoops and the Foggy Bottom Boys, said. "It's seen, it's realized, and it's actualized in the physical world. We're so excited that folks believe in what we're doing not just for ice cream, but for resiliency on the North Coast in all sectors. Feeding people first and with all the resources they need to thrive and survive here."

The funding will help the Loleta-based farm expand its reach beyond Humboldt County.

Thursday night's competitors were chosen from 108 applicants, whittled down to 24 semi-finalists, and eventually parsed into the ones that made the stage. The finalists received one-on-one mentoring in the lead-up to their formal pitches, and submitted portfolios that formed some of the basis on which they were judged, along with their performances in the live action.

Fred Moore, president and CEO of Coast Central Credit Union, noted just before the presentation of awards that these entrepreneurs represented "the economic heartbeat of Humboldt County," as their ventures stood to not just raise capital but provide myriad job opportunities to the region.

The six scale venture contestants were competing for $175,000, the microventures $25,000. Behind Jersey Scoops. GridIQ, a smartgrid power line technology for wildfire prevention, earned second prize and $55,000.

Stratton said he and partner Cody Nicholson Stratton have been preparing for this competition for the past two years, with a business plan and all the information that it took to "bring in real, authentic numbers. What we're certainly aware of is that it's not just what we do every single day, it's the accumulation of the work, which is what presents itself. For us, when it comes to regeneration, it takes a lot longer than the convenience of simplicity. It takes the ideals and the values of people working together to solve for larger problems not just by ourselves, but in community."

The funds will go toward in-store sampling, advertising buys and promotions, also for support with a part-time driver. The money is distributed as milestone-based funding, and Jersey Scoops will need to continue to prove they need the support and verification that the funds will be used in a certain way. "It's a model of regeneration," Thomas said. "Us working together with our community and everyone together in the collaborations to showcase what's so beautiful about it."

To a future entrepreneur, Thomas would say, "For anyone who's willing to step up and sacrifice themselves to the work and the dedication that it takes to be active and aligned 24/7, participate in our community, not only here but anywhere, you have to commit yourself to the work, authenticity, and showing up every day, seven days a week."

Samantha Montoya of Via Del Soil lighting was a vendor booth participant and semifinalist for her patented pathway illumination system with smart design, which had the component of being an ADA-compliant emergency alert lighting system.

Grounded AI, which sought to help businesses adopt AI responsibly, earned the $10,000 prize in the microventure category and LAF Systems (turning leftovers into living soil) received $15,000. Throat Punch Ice Cream got an extra $5,000 that was kicked in on the night of the competition.

Meredith Maier, co-owner of Six Rivers Brewery and executive director of the Arcata Chamber of Commerce, was a judge in the microventure category, and she said, "I am always inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit on display. I'm jazzed about people who want to invest in our community and do business here despite the difficulties. It's why I left the business I started as a young entrepreneur to focus on work at the Chamber to support the work they're doing to build our community."

She noted the Pepper Inflatable Technologies' portfolio and projection as some "huge money and opportunity … the public needs to stay thirsty for ideas and energy and inspiration, and let's bring Humboldt back."

Judges focused on the community impact and storytelling skills of presenters, which was taken in combination with contestants' portfolio grades to determine winners. Co-emcee Will Franklin, director of the North Coast Small Business Development Center, said he "couldn't believe the energy, and the most impressive part is how much growth they've had. We saw them when they couldn't make a pitch, or didn't even have a tagline, though they had great businesses … the amount of growth is remarkable, as was the energy in the room."

Samantha Edwardes, the event's coordinator, was impressed.

"The outpouring of support around this evening really showed us that our community is entrepreneurial," she said. "We consider ourselves a community of creatives and artists, and we are that, but that extends into innovation. The fact that we just packed the Eureka Theater for a Shark Tank in the redwoods business competition shows that it resonates with our community. The energy was indescribable this evening."

And there is potential for a repeat.

"The entrepreneurial ecosystem exists, and people want to get involved, so I don't know why there wouldn't be another cycle. StartUp Humboldt will continue to exist, we're building in Arcata, all our partners exist and our mission hasn't gone away," she said. "So while I don't have dates to share of when the next StartUp competition will be or how much funding we will raise, I can tell you that everyone was excited here tonight, everyone was happy, everyone was looking forward to what's next."

Ken McCanless can be reached at 707-441-0526.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 8:17 PM.