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St. Louis, June 17, 2015—With some of the biggest sponsors in St. Louis and some of the best prize packages, Accelerate St. Louis Challenge launches its sixth year with a celebratory kickoff at Startup Voodoo, June 18, 2015.
Debuting in 2015, Accelerate St. Louis Challenge introduces its new name (formerly St. Louis Startup Challenge) and "application tracks." The tracks include: biosciences, education, financial technology, information technology, manufacturing and products/services.
Through funds provided by long-time sponsor Edward Jones, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership awards the top three startups with no-strings-attached, cash prizes totaling $100,000 ($50,000, $30,000, $20,000 respectively). The four Bright Futures Inclusion Awards offer additional, potentially compounding, cash prizes of $5,000 each in the following categories: minority-, woman-, immigrant-, and veteran-owned businesses.
Cash prizes are accompanied by professional office space within the STLVentureWorks small business incubator network, complimentary showcase at Startup Connection, and top-tier accounting, legal and marketing services. Finalists also receive a professionally produced pitch video.
"Over the past five years, Accelerate St. Louis Challenge has awarded over half a million dollars to the best St. Louis-based startups and coordinated over 375 hours of free marketing, legal and accounting services," said Christine Karslake, vice president of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Partnership. "These prizes give entrepreneurs the monetary and professional resources to accelerate their growth."
"Winning the Challenge was big to us! It provided strong validation for our business model and allowed me to go fulltime and demonstrate my commitment to other investors," said Tom Cohen, CEO of Nanopore Diagnostics, 2014 Accelerate St. Louis Challenge winner. "Winning the Challenge was the key nucleating factor that led to our success."
June 18, 2015, Accelerate St. Louis Challenge will kick off its 2015 season at Startup Voodoo, where a panel of past victors will discuss their experiences winning the competition. The call for applications runs June 18 through July 28, 2015. Accelerate Challenge winners will be announced November 19, 2015 at Startup Connection.
"The St. Louis region embraces entrepreneurs with a vision," said St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. "The Accelerate St. Louis Challenge attracts world-class talent, and we look forward to today's ideas becoming tomorrow's next great company."
Legal, accounting and marketing services are donated by Thompson Coburn; Carmody MacDonald; RubinBrown; Stone Carlie; Common Ground Public Relations; Spoke Marketing; Polsinelli; and Elasticity. Incubator space is donated by STLVentureWorks. Video production is provided by Elasticity. Bright Future Inclusion Award sponsors include: Plan Corp (veteran); Commerce Bank (immigrant); BDO (woman); and Bryan Cave (woman).
Every industry sector is eligible—including for- and non-profits. Startups must be new or early stage with no more than $100,000 in annual revenue. For additional information about eligibility requirements, competition rules, judging criteria, and important deadlines, visit
http://AccelerateStLouis.org/challenge
Connect with Accelerate St. Louis Challenge·Learn more about Accelerate St. Louis Challenge finalists on YouTube
·Tweet with us using #AccelerateChallenge
·Complete rules, awards and important dates are available at
http://AccelerateStLouis.org/challenge
About the Partnership
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership brings together the economic development agencies from St. Louis County and City of St. Louis to drive growth, generate prosperity and catalyze investment throughout the region. As an Accredited Economic Development Organization, the Partnership provides a broad range of services, including entrepreneurial support, business expansion and retention, real estate and community development, and international trade support through World Trade Center St. Louis.
http://www.stlpartnership.com |
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