Hey Business Owners, Want $30,000 from Comcast?

Photo | Jeff Fusco

Hey business owners: If you had $30,000, how would you use technology improve your business? Give a compelling answer and you could get a serious windfall of cash and business advice from Comcast.

For the third consecutive year, Comcast Business is looking for startups and seasoned entrepreneurs to compete in its Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs contest. Winners will receive cash prizes as well as business advice from a panel of experts, including the British cuisine connoisseur behind TV’s Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine.

Entries are due by March 12, 2016. Startups and entrepreneurs can submit their applications here.

For each of the 15 Comcast Business Regions, winners will be chosen in two categories: Startups (in business two years or less) and entrepreneurs (in business for more than two years).

Each of the 15 regional winners will collect $10,000 in cash. Among the regional champs, six contestants will be selected for the grand prizes, receiving a supplementary $20,000 in cash as well as a trip to Comcast HQ in Philly to meet with business experts to discuss growth strategies, business planning, operations, financials and marketing.

Regional winners will be revealed April 25. Selections for the six grand prizes will unfold between April 26 and May 13 — with awards set to be announced on June 6. The Grand Prize event takes place in August.

One of the grand-prize winners from last year was Jon Herting of The Training Room Physical Therapy in Garnet Valley, Pa., who won because of his plan to implement motion-analysis cameras and central nervous system monitoring into his rehab plans. He called the one-on-one expert sessions with Irvine and company “awesome” because he was “able to pick the brains” of successful entrepreneurs and business folks he respects.

“For a small business, it’s invaluable to get tips from Robert Irvine, marketing consultants, and the other experts,” said Herting in an interview back in August. “These are all people who are entrepreneurs focused and could give us business tips.”

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