Courtesy of QEDC
The Queens Economic Development Corporation on Thursday announced the 12 finalists in the 15th annual Queens StartUP! Business Competition.
By Forum Staff
The Queens Economic Development Corporation on Thursday announced the 12 finalists in the 15th annual Queens StartUP! Business Competition, a four-month challenge-and-instruction course offered via a partnership with Resorts World Casino New York City with support from the Srivastava Technology Fund.
After attending at least four workshops on such topics as pricing, branding, marketing, and budgeting, StartUP! contestants submitted anonymous business plans to a panel of judges consisting of local entrepreneurship and commerce experts. The panel then selected three finalists in four categories from a pool of almost 50 solo entrepreneurs and teams in the early stages of operation.
Courtesy of QEDC
Since it began in 2006, StartUP! has awarded a total of $450,000 in grants to 71 winners chosen from a combined pool of 4,300 participants.
Here’s the list:
- House of Playful Soul, a children’s learning center in Forest Hills, advanced in the Community division, along with the Jackson Heights cooperative bookstore Open Borders, and Women’s Weekend Film Challenge, an Astoria nonprofit that promotes female film industry workers.
- Astoria’s Prince Abou’s Butchery, which sells locally sourced Halal meat products, went forward in the Food category, along with QNSY, a craft cocktail business run by a Jackson Heights couple, and Globurrito, an Astoria-based international fusion food truck.
- In the Sustainability cohort, the finalists are Terrart NYC, which designs floral arrangements inside terrariums; Astoria’s Kon Incense, which sells organic, plant-based incense in refillable, non-plastic containers; and Weeta’s Cositas, an Astoria-based art and fashion purveyor.
- The Tech advancers are Kids Break Ground, a platform that helps youngsters explore career options; She Designs Creative Agency, which offers online courses, mentorship, and coaching related to coding; and Foodini, an app that explains different cuisines.
In late April, the judges will listen to live pitches before announcing a winner in each category during an online event. Each one will receive $10,000 in seed funding.
“Congratulations to the dozen finalists and best of luck as you make your business dreams become realities,” said QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein. “It’s been a tough year, but we had many fantastic entries despite the pandemic. I’d like to remind those who didn’t advance that they can try again next year.”
Since it began in 2006, StartUP! has awarded a total of $450,000 in grants to 71 winners chosen from a combined pool of 4,300 participants.
