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 from a range of companies like https://www.yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk, for example, 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.
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.
Liftoff Houston Competition Orientation!
Liftoff Houston provides several orientations for applicants to learn details about the competition. All applicants are required to attend an orientation in order to be eligible to compete. The next orientation is Saturday, July 13 starting at 10:30AM till 12:30PM, located at Carnegie Neighborhood Library & Center for Learning located at 1050 Quitman St., Houston, TX 77009. Registration is required.
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!
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $221.8 billion in deposits and $330.3 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2016. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has branches located primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “COF” and is included in the S&P 100 index.
About the Office of Business Opportunity
The City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity is committed to creating a competitive and diverse business environment in the City of Houston by promoting the growth and success of local small businesses through a wide range of services from start-up business assistance to certification for established businesses seeking contract opportunities with the City. Through OBO’s Houston Business Solutions Center, they provide resources that help with the launch, sustainability, and growth of businesses. For more information about the Office of Business Opportunity and their suite of services, please visit www.houstontx.gov/obo or call 832-393-0954.
About the Houston Public Library
The Houston Public Library (HPL) operates 35 neighborhood libraries, four HPL Express Libraries, a Central Library, the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, The African American Library at the Gregory School, and the Parent Resource Library located in the Children’s Museum of Houston. With more than eight million visits per year in person and online, HPL is committed to excellent customer service and equitable access to information and programs by providing library customers with free use of a diverse collection of printed materials and electronic resources, Internet, laptop and computer use, and a variety of database and reference resources with live assistance online 24/7.
For further information visit the Houston Public Library at www.houstonlibrary.org or on Twitter @houstonlibrary or call 832-393-1313.