Idea Café Grant Registration Closes, Winner Selection Begins

The registration period for the Seventh Idea Cafe Small Business Grant closed on May 17, 2009. The editorial team of the site will now begin the preliminary selection of finalists, and voting for the winner will open on June 2nd. The entrepreneur who received the highest number of votes from Idea Cafe Regulars will be officially announced the winner of the Seventh Idea Café Small Business Grant on July 7th.

Almost one thousand small business owners applied for the Seventh Idea Café Grant. Applicants were encouraged to share not only details about their business, but their aspirations for the future and the ways in which winning the Idea Cafe grant would help them to contribute better to their local community. As with the last grant, finalists will be invited to present themselves and their business on the Idea Cafe Blog, so that Regulars can make an informed choice when voting for the winner starts.

In order to ensure that only the most inspiring business idea make it to the finale, we will take three weeks to prepare and publish two lists: first the list of semi-finalists, and then out of those we will pick the finalists, who will compete for the $1,000.00 grant and priceless publicity on Idea Cafe. Our selection criteria include originality, business reputation, and willingness to use the grant for a purpose above and beyond the immediate business goals of the entrepreneur.

The first Idea Cafe Small Business Grant opened in 2006, with the goal of assisting U.S. entrepreneurs, while regularly providing a set of the best small business ideas around, in order to inform and inspire its audience. Traditionally, our grant winners have moved on to gain further awards and recognition.

Did you miss getting your application in on time? Don’t worry: the next grant is right around the corner. It is our pleasure to announce that we will be opening the application period for the Eighth Idea Café Small Business Grant on July 14, 2009. Keep checking Idea Café for the voting on the Seventh Grant and you’ll be ready when the Eighth Grant begins.

Comments

I really wanted to do this,

I really wanted to do this, please let me know when the net one opnes up thanks!

I am very interested in

I am very interested in applying for the grant. I am young, female, african american and I graduated from college 4 years ago. for me at this point in my life it is hard to recieve financeing from a bank. But one thing is for certain I am passionate about starting my own buisness not only for me but for my daughters. How do I go about applying? Who can I talk to for help?

my wife and i want to start

my wife and i want to start working for ourselves were tired of giving the other guy the money. she knows the book work and i have the knowledge of the labor. please let us know when and how to apply

This is really

This is really frustrating...So, the "voting" (as I received an email stating it was) was to open TODAY, June 2nd, for finalists from the semi-finalists, and by the end of today they've already chosen from the semi-finalists? How is that possible and/or fair and/or logical? ONLY ONE DAY TO VOTE? It just doesn't make sense...

Hmmm... not sure about

Hmmm... not sure about posting an idea that is fledgling to thousands of other small entrepeneurs ... the risk of it being copied before it is fully launched for the possibility of a $1000 ...

I believe the commitee chose

I believe the commitee chose the finalists - the voting is from their final selection group of 50 - which begins today.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong...

how do we vote? where do we

how do we vote? where do we go for that?

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