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Weekly Resource #43 NEIdeas

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NEIStart up businesses get a lot of love in the funding world. We’ve covered such things fairly extensively in previous blog posts. But what about the established businesses that need help growing? It can be hard to come by extra cash to push your business to the next level. NEI is here to help with that. In an effort to cater to the established businesses that have been a part of Detroit for years, NEI has launched a new funding initiative called NEIdeas.

A total of $500,000 is ripe for the taking. 30 businesses will receive $10,000 each and two businesses will receive $100,000 each. These two levels of funding are determined by the size of business entering. Businesses that are eligible for the $10,000 grants cannot have an annual gross of over $1 Million. Furthermore, to be eligible for the $100,000 award, businesses must gross over 1$ million and under $5 million annually. Check out the guidelines to see if your business meets the other criteria required for entry into the program.

You can submit your application online or by mail. It will be extremely beneficial to read over the NEIdeas’ website carefully and review the eligibility criteria as well as the fine details of the program. Craig Fahle has recorded a very informative interview with Dave Egner of NEI and Olga Stella of the DEGC regarding the program on his WDET show. Acceptance of applications opens May 8.

Weekly Resource #14 – Detroit BizGrid

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48109_281138838694543_1423782555_nImagine a single document that lists the business resources and their providers that exist in Detroit. Sounds pretty awesome right? Well imagining such a document is no longer required. The Detroit BizGrid is exactly that and more.

Combine the aggregate knowledge of 5 local entrepreneurial support organizations, (including ourselves, Techtown, Bizdom, D:Hive, and the DEGC) with the demand for an easy to use list of resource provider contact information and their offered resources, and you get the BizGrid.

54 Detroit organizations are categorized based on the resources they have to offer and the stages of business they specialize in. This was done to ensure that entrepreneurs are aware of what is available to help them as well as to streamline the process of contacting said organizations and getting the information needed to pursue their resources.   These organizations offer services ranging from business planning and strategy to real estate assistance, funding, co-working space, and beyond.

A free to use tool, The BizGrid exists in both a downloadable digital version as well as a printed hard copy. Unless you have a printer that is able to print an 8 1/2 X 17 piece of paper, your best bet of getting your hands on a hard copy would be to visit one of the partner organizations and picking one up in person. Otherwise, be sure to download the PDF at the BizGrid website and don’t forget to share it with your fellow entrepreneurs and “Like” the BizGrid on Facebook!