All Over Albany

AOA Startup Grant Contest 2015

The Capital Region has a bunch of people with interesting ideas, but sometimes an idea needs an extra push to get it going, or to take it to the next level.

So once again with the help of Berkshire Bank, Staff Ciampino & Company P.C., Certified Public Accountants, and The College of Saint Rose we're bringing back the AOA Startup Grant contest. The idea: Provide $1,500 in cash, as well as some attention, to help a new project off the ground, or take an existing small business project to the next level.

It's also an opportunity to get a look at some of the good ideas circulating just below the radar in our region. And once again, you get to help decide who gets that funding. Or -- you know -- maybe even enter your own idea.

We're really looking forward to seeing what people come up with this year.

So, here's what we're looking for -- and how to apply...

Previous years entries

Before entering it's a good idea to review some of the entries from past years -- especially which projects made it to the finals. Here are the previous years: 2014 (finalists) | 2012 (finalists) | 2011 (finalists)

Entries

Please read these instructions carefully.

What we're looking for
Think small business (retail shop, taco truck) or community effort (public art, neighborhood program). We're not looking for straight-up charities, but rather business or community enterprises.

Who should enter
$1,500 probably isn't going to change a lot for an established small business. But for someone with an idea, or a small project that they want to take to the next phase -- it could help a lot.

How to enter -- please read all the details!
AOA will be accepting proposals from March 11 through April 3 at 11:59 pm. Be sure to include:

+ A short bio: Tell us a little about yourself. What have you done in the past? What led you to this project?
+ A description of your proposed project: What is it you want to do? Why do you want to do it? Why should it get funding?
+ An image: A photo/screengrab/image of the idea as it exists now and/or of what you would like to change. Be creative. Images should be at least 600 pixels wide and 400 pixels tall. Have a video to go along with your application? Excellent. Please post it online somewhere (example: YouTube or Vimeo) and provide us with the link so we can embed it.
+ How this funding would help: Tell us how you'd use the $1,500 startup grant to grow your idea and help you move it into the next phase. We're not looking for a dissertation -- 200-300 words should be enough.

Entries will be posted on AOA in the order they're received.

Applications should be emailed to startups@alloveralbany.com. Please enter the title of your project in the subject line. You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of your submission.

How finalists are selected

The first round
AOA will post all the projects online for the crowd to review. Crowd voting -- from April 6 through April 10 -- will select two finalists. The Editors will pick a third.

Entrepreneurial crash course
All three finalists will be required to attend a one-night crash course with John Dion, a professor of marketing at The College of Saint Rose, who will help them arrange their ideas and think about how to present their projects to the judges in the final round.

The final round
The three finalists will then present their ideas to the judges on April 20. Each finalist will get 20 minutes to convince the judges to fund their project.

The judges

+ Lissa D'Aquanni: director of community relations at the Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, and former small business owner and
+ Rhea Drysdale: founder and CEO of Troy-based online marketing firm Outspoken Media
+ Vic Christopher: owner of The Lucas Confectionery, The Grocery and Peck's Arcade in Troy.

Results

Shortly after the final presentations, the winner will be announced here at AOA. And we'll check in with that project over the next year to see how things have progressed.

Important dates

So, just to review:

March 11-April 3: Open for entries.

April 6-April 10: Crowd voting for two of the finalists.

April 20: Presentation to the judges.

Big thanks to Berkshire Bank for providing the prize money and to Staff Ciampino & Company P.C., Certified Public Accountants and The Huether School of Business at the College of Saint Rose for sponsoring the contest this year.