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Launch-a-Preneur starts up

Economic development: Sign up now for popular business program.

Registration is now open for Season Three of Shuswap Launch-a-Preneur.

Shuswap Launch-a-Preneur is an entrepreneurial competition designed by Enactus, Community Futures Shuswap, and the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society.

The purpose of the program is to assist individuals and teams to successfully plan for the establishment of their business, while at the same time competing for prize packages in true “Dragon’s Den” fashion.

The annual Shuswap Launch-a-Preneur program is a process that includes a series of workshops, supplemented with resources and one-on-one business mentorship to assist entrepreneurs to validate their business model and prepare a detailed business plan. During the inaugural event, 23 teams participated.

The final competition night sees teams competing for thousands of dollars in prizes and in-kind donations designed to assist with business start-ups in the Shuswap.  At that event, teams present a short pitch to a panel of judges consisting of angel investors and successful entrepreneurs from the Shuswap/Okanagan region.

Successful teams are invited to move on to the final round, which includes a more detailed presentation as well as questions from the judging panel and audience members.  Prizes are awarded for the following: Green Initiative,

Public Choice, and first-, second- and third-place awards.

Prizes are provided by local business sponsors and include: seed capital, business consulting hours, website development packages, accounting and legal fees, and marketing packages for the fledgling businesses

For more information, contact: Carol McGillivray, business support co-ordinator, Salmon Arm Economic Development Society at 250-833-0608 or by email to bsc@saeds.ca.