NEW ORLEANS – The Urban League of Louisiana's annual Women-In-Business (WIB) Challenge is a nine-module business accelerator program and pitch competition designed to empower female entrepreneurs with the education, tools and resources needed to scale their businesses.
For nine weeks, at the New Orleans Jazz Market, 1436 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., selected women business owners will participate in a comprehensive business education program, receive one-on-one technical assistance and counseling services, and be introduced to various resources to support their plans for growth. At the end of the accelerator program, four finalists will be selected to pitch their business plans for chance to win $10,000 in growth capital. The final pitch event will take place in March 2018 during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week hosted by The Idea Village.
For consideration into the accelerator program, businesses must:
• Be owned and operated by women (51 percent or more)
• Have at least $25,000 in annual verifiable revenue
• Have been in business (operational) for at least 12 months
• Have a minimum of two full-time employees including the owner
• In addition, participants must have a business model that is innovative and/or technology-driven, or be a traditional business that provides services that support women and girls, or otherwise demonstrate a positive economic impact in the community. The business should also be scalable with the potential to generate at least $500,000 in revenue within three to five years.
All participants must commit to the following accelerator program schedule on the dates listed below, from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.:
Module Module Name Date
Module 1 Orientation and Strategic Growth Planning 9/27/2017
Module 2 Examining Your Business Financials and 10/4/2017
the Fundamentals of Forecasting
Module 3 Principles of Entrepreneurial Leadership 10/11/2017
Module 4 The Nuts and Bolts of Marketing and 10/18/2017
Business Development
Module 5 Operational Efficiency and The Use 10/25/2017
of Technology
Module 6 Developing a Winning Pitch 11/1/2017
Module 7 Best Practices in Procurement for 11/8/2017
Women-owned Businesses
Module 8 Advanced Forecasting and 11/15/2017
Financial Analysis
Module 9 Finding the Money and Pitch Prep 11/29/2017
A current income statement and balance sheet are both required for the application. Applications without these documents will not be considered.
Applications and supporting documents must be submitted by Wednesday, Sept. 6, by 5:00 p.m. here
