Burlington County seeking the next best start-up business stars

Students and military members, who are aspiring entrepreneurs, will compete to be Burlington County College’s Future Start-Up Star in a business plan contest sponsored by Burlington County College (BCC), the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders and TD Bank.

 “The Start-Up Star competition showcases how entities can work together to drive a strong economy and create jobs,” said Burlington County Freeholder Director Leah Arter, who will also serve as a judge in the competition. “The County’s workforce development initiative, recently unveiled at the state of the county address, stresses the importance of working together with business leaders, hiring managers and educators to develop our local workforce and help Burlington County residents find jobs. This contest expands that concept to the next generation.”

“Entrepreneurs have the power to create job opportunities,” Arter added. “We want to encourage young people, as well as veterans, to stay in Burlington County where we have many great resources that can help them successfully build their business.”

The competition is currently open to the military and veterans, BCC students, Burlington County high school students, and students at BCC’s on-site partner schools – Drexel University, Wilmington University and Fairleigh Dickinson University.

“The competition is designed to educate and support students and our military population who want to be tomorrow’s entrepreneurial leaders,” said Rebecca Corbin, BCC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the BCC Foundation. “We will be here to guide them through the business plan executive summary – all they need is the idea and ingenuity.”

Participants will submit an executive summary of their business concept. Two finalists in each category will be invited to present their plan at the Culinary Arts Center at BCC in front of a panel of judges on Thursday, Feb. 20. The judges will then determine the winner, who will be awarded a monetary prize, provided through a grant the BCC Foundation received from TD Bank.

“Competitors will receive valuable feedback and the opportunity to network with successful business owners and officials who could prove to be invaluable resources one day,” said Frank Keith, BCC Director of Business Incubation and Economic Development.

Interested participants are invited to a free information session on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in the training room at the Incubators at BCC, 100 Technology Way, Mount Laurel, where they will learn about writing a business plan and an executive summary and other topics such as angel investors and starting a business.

Visit www.bcc.edu/StartUpStar for more information or to enter the competition. If you have additional questions, please contact Frank Keith at (856) 222-9311, ext. 2804. Business plan executive summaries must be received no later than Tuesday, Feb. 4. A downloadable executive summary template is available on the website.