SBA’s 2017 InnovateHER: Innovating for Women Business Challenge is underway.
Elizabeth Yearwood, Economic Development Specialist with SBA, explains InnovateHER is a business pitch competition and says it’s unique because it focuses on women.
Yearwood says the competition is geared toward women whose companies provide products or services that are innovative, that have the potential for commercialization and that have a high impact on the lives of women and their families.
She says of all the applications SBA receives, they will select five people to go to Lincoln on April 7th and participate in the pitch process.
"I think it really encourages entrepreneurs, especially those folks that just think they have an idea. It really gives them the opportunity to polish the business pitch, to get support from other women and really to learn about the resources that are available to them to help them go further as well.”
Yearwood says the SBA will forward the winner’s name, business plan and a letter of support to Washington DC. From the pool of winners across the US, judges will choose 10 finalists who will be invited to Washington DC in July to present their pitches.
The 10 finalists will compete for $70,000 in prize money. More information is available at www.challenge.gov.