Aspiring and new entrepreneurs are invited to compete for funding to launch or grow their businesses through Montgomery County Community College’s Karen A. Stout Start-Up Accelerator Fund competition.

To kick off the competition and the new Entrepreneur of the Year award, the College invited venture capitalist and entrepreneur Wayne Kimmel to speak about networking, entrepreneurship and his new book, Six Degrees of Wayne Kimmel on Nov. 13, in conjunction with the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

“It’s all about working with smart, nice people and changing the world,” Kimmel told the audience, asking everyone to take a few minutes to introduce themselves to people they did not know in the room to start the networking process.

“When you go out in the morning, put your business cards in your right pocket. Your goal is to empty your right pocket and fill up your left with business cards from people you meet. Let the world know who you are,” he said.

As entrepreneurs grow their networks, they also should seek opportunities, like the Accelerator Fund Competition . Applicants must submit their business plans by February 28, 2018. Selected applicants will be invited to the College in April 2018 to pitch their business concepts to a review team.

Selected entrepreneurs will be awarded between $1,000 and $25,000 to help launch or grow their business ventures. Recipients will work with the College’s Center for Entrepreneurial Services and are eligible for inclusion in the College’s Entrepreneurship Academy, co-sponsored by Drexel University’s Close School of Entrepreneurship , to assist in preparing their business plan, to set key milestones and deliverables and to monitor progress and outcomes.

Now in its third year, the Accelerator Fund provides fledging businesses with much-needed capital to help take them to the next level in their business development. The Montgomery County Community College Foundation and the College’s Division of Business and Entrepreneurial Initiatives oversee the Accelerator Fund.

The College also announced the criteria and deadlines for its inaugural Montgomery County Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which is open for any entrepreneur who has had a positive impact on Montgomery County.