More than $50,000 in seed capital and business-development services was awarded to nine local businesses as part of the Entrepreneur-YOU Business plan competition. The common denominator in all these ventures is they are all owned by women.
Walsh College hosted the
Entrepreneur-YOU business plan and pitch competition with the help of the
Michigan Women's Foundation,
Inforum Michigan, and
Fifth Third Bank. The annual competition, which dates to 2012, helps female entrepreneurs develop their business plans and firm the elevator pitches for their ventures. Each competition offers $50,000 to $75,000 in seed capital to the winners.
This year's winners in the Lifestyle category include: Tatiana Grant of
Flash Delivery (1st place for $13,900), Shannon Byrne of
Slow Jams Jam (2nd place for $9,400), and Yvette Rock of
Live Coal Gallery (3rd place for $5,900). The Growth category winners include 1st place to Julie Hyde-Edwards of re-Contour (which is developing a nipple guard and mastectomy dressing), 2nd place to Julie Andreae of
Secure Beginnings (developing a breathable crib mattress), and 3rd place to Adrienne Minerick for developing a blood-typing microdevice.
Grant, of Flash Delivery, plans to use the prize money to help improve the customer experience of its online grocery delivery service in Detroit. That includes making it more mobile friendly and building out a better online cart in time for the holiday season.
"We will be doing a big holiday push," Grant says.
Grant and her partner also picked up some important business lessons at the competition by running it past other succesful business women and practicing their elevator pitches.
"Less is more," Grant says about one of the lessons she learned at the competition. "And really know your stuff."
Source: Tatiana Grant, co-owner of Flash Delivery
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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