ANN ARBOR – The deadline to apply for the Ann Arbor SPARK Business Accelerator?s Entrepreneurs Boot Camp, which has helped participating companies raise more than $7 million in the past two years, is May 8. Top prize is an initial engagement with the Business Accelerator valued at $5,000.

The Boot Camp, scheduled for June 1-2 will take place at the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences building in Ann Arbor. It marks the eighth Boot Camp in this series.

?In the past three years, 12 companies have received acceleration services and more than 90 companies have been evaluated and referred to additional services to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses,? said Skip Simms, executive director of the Business Accelerator.

The event is an intensive two-day business planning and preparation program designed to help early-stage technology businesses crystallize their business concept to increase their chances for attracting additional funding, finding resources and achieving success.

Pre-Camp Training and Resources at SPARK Central sessions were Elevator Pitch and Executive Summary, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Business Models and Financial Structure, Sources of Capital and the Investor Perspective and High Impact Marketing for Start-ups.

Online Training Tutorials Available at AnnArborSpark.Org include:

12 Keys to Building a Successful Startup

Captain of the Ship – Entrepreneurial Leadership

Financing Your Startup

High Impact Marketing

How Wise Solutions Grew Up

Perfecting Your Positioning

Featured speakers will be Tom Kinnear, Jim Price and Dennis Blanchette. The event combines hands-on learning and one-on-one mentoring with local business experts. During the Boot Camp process, entrepreneurs will organize and refine their business plan, and prepare their company to achieve the next milestone.

Boot Camp includes a binder of valuable reference materials, all meals and access to a post Camp private discussion forum. The cost for a two-person team is $995. Ann Arbor IT Zone members receive a reduced price of $795.

At the completion of Boot Camp, the participating teams get an opportunity to present their company to an Investor Panel. The team judged as the best opportunity will win an initial engagement at the Ann Arbor SPARK Business Accelerator valued at $5,000.

For more information, click on AnnArborSpark.Org/Bootcamp

Or call Susanna Thomashefski at (734) 615-9310;

or e-mail [email protected]