HOUSTON - The City of Houston and Capital One Bank is hosting its 7th Annual “Liftoff Houston” Business Plan Competition; a program that launches new businesses today, for a better Houston tomorrow.
Mayor Sylvester Turner formally announced the 2019 competition on Wednesday, June 5, 2019 post City Council Meeting in City Hall’s Legacy Room.
“Liftoff Houston” is a competition that engages and empowers Houstonians seeking to start a new business in Houston by providing them with access to essential information, resources and the support necessary to develop a sound business plan toward realizing their goal. This annual competition is sponsored by Capital One Bank in partnership with the Houston Public Library (HPL) and the Office of Business Opportunity (OBO).
Capital One Bank is providing cash prizes totaling $30,000 to the top three winning business plan submissions in the categories of Product, Service and Innovation. Prizes of $10,000 will be awarded for each category.
To be eligible, applicants must have a for-profit business that is less than a year old, has earned less than $10,000 in revenue, and is operated by owners who live within the Houston city limits. The top three finalists will receive much needed capital to invest in their business.capital to invest in their business.
Entering the “Liftoff Houston” 2019 Business Plan Competition is easy and free. All interested parties are required to complete and submit an application no later than 2 PM, Monday, July 15, 2019. To learn about the competition or to apply, visit www.Liftoffhouston.com or call 832-393-0954.
The competition is five months long and is divided into four stages that include: orientation, workshops, mentoring, and business pitching. The workshops will be offered at various Houston Public Library locations and local entities citywide.
About The Competition
The “Liftoff Houston” 2019 Business Plan Competition is designed to encourage Houstonians to achieve the goal of business ownership while contributing to the local growth and sustainability of the Houston economy. To successfully research, develop and present the business plan, among other requirements, participants are required to have an HPL Library Card, attend workshops offered by industry experts, ranging in topics from business plan basics to presenting plans to financial institutions, and attend information sessions to learn about the free vast resources available to support new business start-ups through HPL and OBO. Additional support will also be provided through professional business mentors to help participants further refine their business plan. Liftoff Houston! is proud to have the support from additional key partners such as SCORE and HTV!
For further information visit the Houston Public Library at www.houstonlibrary.org or on Twitter @houstonlibrary or call 832-393-1313.