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Liftoff Houston is sponsored by City of Houston's Office of Business Opportunity. Liftoff Houston is an annual business plan competition that provides seed funding and education on basic business skills for startups in Houston.
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2024 Liftoff Houston Business Plan Competition > Office of Business Opportunity > 2024 Liftoff Houston Business Plan Competition Office of Business Opportunity 2024 Liftoff Houston Business Plan Competition 2023 Liftoff Houston Winner - Exobraced 2023 Liftoff Houston Winner - Charleston Kitchen 2023 Liftoff Houston Winner - Fan Favorite Read the November 18, 2023 Liftoff Houston Press Release Read the October 31, 2022 Liftoff Houston Press Release Read the July 27, 2022 Liftoff Houston Press Release Read the July 7, 2021 Liftoff Houston Press Release Read the November 9, 2020 Liftoff Houston Award Winners Press Release Read the November 5, 2020 Liftoff Houston Pitch Day Press Release Read the July 8, 2020 Liftoff Houston Press Release Liftoff Houston is the City of Houston’s annual business plan competition.
It is an entrepreneurial initiative aimed to boost small business growth by equipping Houstonians with business literacy education and mentorship.
This year, there are two ways to participate in Liftoff Houston: The 2024 Liftoff Houston Start-Up Business Plan Competition Minimum Eligibility Requirements: Must be in the start-up phase of your business which means you either must have a business idea or have a business in operation for less than one year. Must have revenue of less than $10,000. Must live within the City of Houston limits.
Also, if you have a business location, it must be located within the City of Houston limits. To verify if your residence or business is within the City of Houston limits, please visit https://www. houstontx.
gov/council/whoismycm. html Win $10,000 for your idea/business. Gain skills that will help you take your idea or small business to the next level The 2024 Liftoff Houston Educational Pathway Minimum Eligibility Requirements: Gain skills that will help you take your idea or small business to the next level.
Receive Certificate of Completion. Meet the prerequisite for the HCC Business Plan Competition upon attending all required workshops and submitting a written business plan in the same calendar year. Both pathways include orientation, workshops, and mentoring sessions.
Workshops range from business plan basics to raising capital, as well as sessions on the myriad of City of Houston’s business resources provided by departments such as the Houston Public Library or Office of Business Opportunity . Liftoff Houston provides support from business professionals to assist participants in refining or creating a business plan.
The goal of the initiative is to enable individuals to produce viable, successful business enterprises. However, the competition will have an additional component of presenting and pitching a idea/business for a cash prize. This year there will be three award categories: Product, Service, and Innovation.
$10,000 – Awarded for top “Product” Based Business Plan (Retail, resale, merchandise, etc.) $10,000 – Awarded for top “Service” Based Business Plan (Food, labor, consulting, etc.) $10,000 – Awarded for top “Innovation” Based Business Plan (Software, Hardware, inventions, new market businesses, etc.) The 2024 Liftoff Houston Start-Up Business plan competition will launch ... stay tuned for launch date.
Orientation is REQUIRED for everyone. The program calendar and information on how to register for workshops will be emailed upon completion of application. Application info coming soon APPLY button and follow the instructions below once you arrive on the LiftOff Houston website.
Step 1: Click "Register" on the top right of this page to create an account. (Once you finish creating an account the website will send you a confirmation email to confirm that you have a working email.) Step 2: Complete the "Eligibility Test" to the determine the program you are eligible for.
Step 3: Compete an application either for the Liftoff Houston Start-Up Business Plan Competition or the Liftoff Houston Educational Pathway. Please note: Liftoff team members are available Monday-Thursday 9 a. m.
-11 a. m. Calls or e-mails outside of these hours will not be returned until the following business day.
City of Houston-Office of Business Opportunity Twitter/Facebook: @Liftoffhouston liftoffhouston@houstontx. gov Contract Compliance Commission Departments with OBO Offices Certifications and Designations DBE and ACDBE Certifications Pay or Play (POP) Program and Forms Houston Small Business Legal Consultations director. obo@houstontx.
gov OBO Policies and Procedures Government Grants for Small Businesses Professional and Community Organizations
Scoring criteria used to review proposals for this grant.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Businesses in the startup phase or with less than one year of operation; revenue must be less than $10,000; business and applicant must reside within Houston city limits. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $30,000 total (e.g., $10,000 for top business ideas). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Liftoff Houston is funded by City of Houston's Office of Business Opportunity. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This opportunity targets applicants in Texas. If your organization operates elsewhere, check the official notice for location requirements.
Applications go through the funder's official portal — the Apply Now link on this page goes there directly.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
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