The Meraux Foundation and the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation are seeking innovative entrepreneurs for its upcoming pitch competition, Startup St. Bernard.
“Startup St. Bernard provides a launch pad for aspiring entrepreneurs to grow their business in St. Bernard Parish,” said Andrew Jacques, the executive director of St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation. “The competition also generates tangible, economic development projects like we have seen from our previous winners, 40 Arpent Brewing Company and Christie’s Dreams Seafood.”
Applications are now open through January 14, 2017. Once the judges select finalists, the entrepreneurs will be invited to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges in a TED Talks-style presentation at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) in March.
The competition is offering a $110,000 prize package, a mix of cash and in-kind services, designed to help propel their business to the next level.
To qualify, entrepreneurs must be in business for 5 years or less or an existing business creating a new division or entity, must have yearly revenue under $1,000,000, must have 5 employees or less, and cannot be a non-profit.