Women interested in starting their own business now have a chance to win capital and professional advice in getting it started, thanks to SCORE Middle Georgia and Macon-Bibb County’s Office of Small Business Affairs.
Applications can be found here and are due by midnight on Monday, April 14; the cost to participate is $25.
“SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers across the US are committed to helping women start and grow small businesses,” says Matt McKenna “The SCORE Middle Georgia Chapter has assisted more than 1,000 women since our start in 2016, and are excited to partner with the Macon-Bibb Office of Small Business Affairs for the Women’s Pitch Contest and the 6th Annual Middle Georgia Women’s Entrepreneurial event.”
“Pitching competitions offer a unique platform where startups stand to gain early exposure and attention from potential investors and partners. Macon-Bibb is becoming a leader in women owned businesses and we want to cultivate this growth with the help of our partner SCORE. OSBA hopes to grow the number of women owned businesses that are vendors with Macon-Bibb and programs like this, help us reach untapped participants.
As part of the application, the future business owners will answer questions in the following topics: Venture Description and Rationale; Your Marketplace; Your Competition; Marketing/Distribution; Operating Requirements; Financial Considerations; and About You.
Proposals will be reviewed by a Review Committee and evaluated for clarity, completeness, uniqueness, and potential financial viability. The five highest scoring applications will be named finalists and invited to pitch their business ideas to our panel of judges on May 5, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, and the proposed business must be a new startup in Macon-Bibb that launches no later than January 1, 2024. Applications involving products or services that are, or will be, part of or associated with an existing business will not be accepted.
About the Macon-Bibb Office of Small Business Affairs
The mission of the department is to develop and coordinate inclusive programs to promote the growth of small businesses, minority business enterprises, women business enterprises and disadvantaged business enterprises.
About SCORE
SCORE is a national volunteer organization whose mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through free mentoring and low-cost education. SCORE Middle Georgia’s Volunteers mentored over 1,500 individuals and educated over 1,800 participants since the Chapter’s founding in 2016.