Business Plant Contest To Award $30,000 To Michigan Start Ups

LANSING ? More than $30,000 in cash and services will be awarded Jan. 11 to promising Michigan technology start ups by the Great Lakes Entrepreneur?s Quest business-plan writing contest.

GLEQ, a nonprofit, educational program designed to accelerate the formation of high-growth companies throughout Michigan, will present checks of $5,000, $3000, and $2,000 in the Emerging Company category. Six New Business Idea teams from two State regions (West/North and East) will win cash prizes of $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 plus commensurate in-kind services.

?The winners represent an exciting cross-section of high-growth companies from across the State,? said Art DeMonte, executive director of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur?s Quest. ?Through the generous support of sponsors like the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, and the many volunteer business coaches and plan judges, we can provide support and resources to fledging companies unlike any other organization in the state.?

GLEQ will also announce the start of the Spring Cycle, which commences immediately after the Awards ceremony. For the Spring Cycle, GLEQ will provide business start-up training and offer cash and service awards of more than $60,000 which will be awarded in June.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. At 6:30 p.m., there will be a reception for teams, sponsors, coaches, judges, organizers and the public.

?As we close the first of our two competitions, I am encouraged to see the wealth of entrepreneurial talent within the state of Michigan with the ambition to create emerging, high-growth businesses, ? said Dave Brenner, chair of Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest and managing partner of IdeaWorks, LLC. ?This ceremony is an opportunity for us to recognize that talent and provide our advancing teams with new momentum as they head toward the grand prize event in the spring.?

Interested entrepreneurs are encouraged to attend the awards event. For more details, click on GLEQ.Org