Businesses can win $10,000 in cash, $30,000 in services
Entrepreneurs from across the region will have their chance to pitch their business ideas to win money and prizes to help get their enterprise off the ground in a series of Niagara’s own pitch competitions.
This year, Meridian Credit Union has partnered with Niagara College and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) to support these local entrepreneurs through the Meridian Ignite! series, including Niagara College’s Pitch Perfect competition, the Startup Weekend event and the the GNCC’s Ignite pitch competition. Competitors have a chance to win a $10,000 cash prize from Meridian Credit Union, and a basket of business services worth more than $30,000 to get their initiative started.
“We’re proud to support innovation and entrepreneurship close to home in Niagara. This pitch competition series is the perfect fit with Meridian’s programs of support for small businesses,” said Wade Stayzer, vice-president of sales and service at Meridian Credit Union. “Meridian is proud to partner with the GNCC and Niagara College to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs across Niagara.”
Vivian Kinnaird, Dean of Business, Hospitality and Environment at Niagara College, said the series is a great showcase for new ideas and fresh approaches — something the college has always encouraged and nurtured.
“Niagara College not only trains the entrepreneurs of the future, but supports them as they develop their ideas into enterprises,” said Kinnaird.
Mishka Balsom, president & CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, said these types of events bring forward the best local innovation and entrepreneurship.
“I’m always amazed by the ideas that are pitched at these events and I look forward to the 2017 competition,” said Balsom. “We’re enormously grateful to our partners at Meridian and Niagara College for their work supporting local innovation and entrepreneurship. That sort of support is what makes Niagara’s such a great business community.”
Previous winners included Techboomers, a website that helps older adults get to grips with technology and social media, and Dustguards, a local firm specializing in dust control solutions for construction and renovation.
“Coming back home to Niagara and creating TechBoomers has made our recent string of successes even more rewarding to me,” said Steve Black, founder and CEO of TechBoomers. “I wanted to show others that tech start-ups can flourish here just as easily as they would in Toronto or Waterloo, and that Niagara College have provided us with a great local pool of talented grads which we’re now able to hire from.”
More detailed information on the series, including the dates of the competitions and venues, has yet to be announced.
Original article: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/7060980-entrepreneurs-can-ignite-their-business-with-pitch-series/
