Do you or someone you know have an idea to run a business? The Path to Prosperity competition aims to identify and support innovative business ideas in Southeast Alaska. Year four of the P2P sustainable business development competition is now open.
Path to Prosperity is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy and the Haa Aaní Community Development Fund, Inc. The competition is open to all Southeast Alaska residents. This includes individuals, for-profit businesses and tribal entities. Businesses must operate primarily in Southeast Alaska.
“P2P applicants can be existing businesses or start-ups, but do not need to have a full business plan in the first round of the application process,” said Paul Hackenmueller, HACDF competition administrator. “We want to encourage new entrepreneurs to apply, so the Round 1 application asks for a basic description of the business concept.”
Twelve applicants will be selected as finalists to advance to Round 2 of the competition and attend P2P’s Business Boot Camp weekend in Juneau. All 12 finalists receive one-on-one mentorship and consulting that they can use to help write their business plans and grow their businesses after they return to their communities. The Boot Camp experience is valuable for all finalists who attend, whether or not they win the competition.
Timeline for 2016 Path to Prosperity Competition:
• March 1 — application period opens
• April 5 — webinar
• May 1— applications due
• June 7 — announce top 12 finalists advancing to Round 2
• Sept. 23-25 — boot camp weekend in Juneau
• Dec. 1 — business plan submissions deadline
• Jan. 29, 2017 — two winners announced
To learn more please visit www.p2pweb.org or email p2p@sealaska.com.
