Apache County Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders Invited to Participate in 7th Annual Moonshot Rural Arizona Pitch Competition

St. Johns has been selected as one of 20 tour stops for the 7^th Annual Moonshot Rural Arizona Pitch Competition. The event, which will be held on June 18, 2026, invites Arizonans living in rural communities across the state to highlight their business idea or innovation to a panel of judges in a Shark Tank-style pitching contest. Local winners will earn cash prizes and move on to compete at the state title event on October 24. Local prizes include $1,200 for first place, $900 for second place and $600 for third place. SRP is a state-level sponsor of the Moonshot Rural Arizona Pitch Competition.

The pitch competition is free and open to all aspiring entrepreneurs and local business owners in Apache County. High school and college-age students are encouraged to participate.  

“Many entrepreneurs have great ideas, but they lack the networking necessary to get them in front of the ‘right people’ so their ideas can take flight,” said Preston Raban, Director of Economic Development, Apache County. “The Moonshot folks are a powerful networking organization and could be exactly what these ideas, and the folks behind them, need to be the next big thing. We’ve had an incredible experience working with the Moonshot team. They are dialed-in professionals, and they look at their tour stop winners as people who can contribute to their communities by creating jobs and revenue that will strengthen their economies.” 

In 2025, Hometown Fresh Farm, a hydroponic farm growing crops in rural Arizona for the surrounding communities, won the St. Johns stop of the Moonshot Rural AZ Pitch Tour and was recognized as a statewide crowd favorite. The farm uses hydroponics to conserve water and land while producing crops that have been historically hard to source locally. The farm ultimately aims to partner with schools in the White Mountain region and Navajo Nation to provide students with fresh, locally sourced produce. 

“Without Moonshot, we would not have started our business. It was the catalyst we needed to get serious about our idea and figure out how to make it a reality,” said Michael Lindsey, Owner, Hometown Fresh Farm. “The feedback we received along the way helped us dial in our business plan. Winning the crowd favorite award validated our idea and gave us the confidence to bet on ourselves and build the business.” 

Moonshot, an Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation in communities of all sizes across the state, offers free registration and participation. To learn more and register, visit: moonshotazpitch.com.