InnovateHER Competition - Information Session

Join us on Friday, April 21, 2017, as we share the information you need to know to enter the InnovateHER competition.

The Women’s Business Center of Cameron County (WBC-CC) and the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce (BCOC) are the Rio Grande Valley hosts for the InnovateHER: 2017 challenge. InnovateHER is a cross-cutting prize competition to unearth innovative products and services that help impact and empower the lives of women and families. Through the competition, the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) is seeking to amplify products or services that fill a need in the marketplace and have the potential for commercialization.

Entrepreneurs picked as winners in the local challenges will then move on to the semifinal round. From this pool of semifinalists, SBA officials will choose the 10 finalists who will be invited to Washington, D.C., to participate at the National InnovateHER: Innovating for Women Business Challenge.

Prize for Winners of National Competition:
Cash prizes totaling $70,000 will be awarded to the three highest-rated contestants in the final round of the competition in the following amounts: 1st place $40,000; 2nd place $20,000; and 3rd place $10,000.
 
For winning entries submitted by teams of competitors, prize money will be awarded to the self-identified project leader for distribution to the rest of the team at their discretion and independently from SBA.

Participants must be at least 18 years of age, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and meet other requirements as defined in the Competition Rules.

How Can I Compete?

1. Complete an application; due on May 5, 2017.
2. Submit Business Plan (Must include Executive Summary and Financials, maximum 20 pages) to info@wbc-cc.com.
3. The WBC-CC will select up to five businesses to pitch before a panel on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, at the Brownsville Events Center.
4. The winner of the local competition will advance to the semi-final round in Washington, DC!