To give aspiring and new entrepreneurs additional time to apply for Montgomery County Community College’s Karen A. Stout Start-Up Accelerator Fund Competition, the deadline is being extended to March 15.

Selected entrepreneurs will be awarded between $1,000 and $25,000 to help launch or grow their business ventures. In its fourth year, the Accelerator Fund Competition has assisted 14 businesses by providing more than $100,000 in funding.

In 2018, the judging panel selected six finalists from a pool of 29 applicants to make their pitches for funding, and five businesses received $5,000 each. The recipients were Carvertise of Wilmington, De.; Eoko, Inc., of Plymouth Meeting, Pa.; Mighty Writers of Philadelphia, Pa.; SmarTECHS, LLC, of Conshohocken, Pa.; and Trisonus of Philadelphia, Pa.

“The funding from the Accelerator Competition helped to fund some key equipment we needed for our business,” said Greg Star, founding partner of Carvertise. “Additionally, we had the opportunity to meet and network with other entrepreneurs.”

To apply, interested entrepreneurs should complete the applications and submit their proposed business plans.  Selected applicants will be invited to the College in April 2018 to pitch their business concepts to a review team. 

The Montgomery County Community College Foundation and the College’s Division of Business and Entrepreneurial Initiatives oversee the Accelerator Fund.