COLUMBIA, Md. (November 4, 2015) – The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced today that it is hosting a local competition in the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 2016 InnovateHER: Innovating for Women Challenge. InnovateHER provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs throughout Maryland to compete for $70,000 in cash prizes by showcasing products and services that have a measurable impact on the lives of women and families, have the potential for commercialization, and fill a need in the marketplace.
“57% of working age women participate in the labor force, 74% of employed women work full-time, and 70% of working women have children under the age of 18,” said Rob Rosenbaum, President and Executive Director of TEDCO. “As demands on women and families grow, the need for products and services that address these unique challenges increases – we are hopeful that InnovateHER will identify some high potential solutions.”
TEDCO is now accepting applications for the InnovateHER Challenge. Interested entrepreneurs should first go to SBA_InnovateHER_2016 and familiarize themselves thoroughly with the Challenge. A summary business plan in PDF format consisting of no more than three pages should then be e-mailed to reply@tedco.md no later than midnight on November 22, 2015.
A team consisting of TEDCO staff, members of TEDCO’s Woman-led Start-up Executive Roundtable, and members of TEDCO’s Loaned Executive pool will review each application and select one winner whose full business plan will be advanced on to the Semi-Final round of the InnovateHER Challenge. SBA will administer the Semi-Final round and will select up to 10 Finalists who will then compete for $70,000 in cash prizes.