nypl startup business plan competition

New York StartUP! 2023 Business Plan Competition

The 13th annual new york startup business plan competition is closed.  check back in the fall of 2023 for details about the 2024 competition..

Win up to $15,000 to start your business, as well as gain practical insights about starting and growing a business while using the comprehensive small business resources at NYPL’s Thomas Yoseloff Business Center.

Are you eligible to win a cash prize?

1. You must live in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island *

2. Your business must be in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island

3. All businesses must have ideas or business models in the start-up phase and have earned less than $10,000

 To Participate:

Step 1 - attend a virtual orientation q & a session  .

The 1st requirement of the competition - attend a session for a review of the competition including how it works, the requirements, and the timeline.

                Click here to see the full schedule of the sessions. ***************************************************************************************************************

Step 2 - submit your entry form by march 31, 2023.  .

The 2nd requirement of the competition - complete and submit an entry form to participate.

                Click here to access the form.   ***************************************************************************************************************

Step 3 -  attend 1 virtual q & a session for each of the 4 technical workshops.

The 3rd requirement of the competition- you must attend 1 session for each of the 4 workshops.

               Click here to see the full schedule of Virtual Q & A Sessions  ***************************************************************************************************************

Step 4 - schedule at least 1 virtual consultation with a business librarian before march 15, 2023..

The 4th requirement of the Competition - Business Center Librarians can provide resources for marketing and industry research, sample business plans, and business service providers.

                Click here to schedule your virtual consultation.

***************************************************************************************************************, step 5 - meet at least once before april 1, 2023 with a business advisor..

The 5th requirement of the Competition is to meet at least once with an expert business advisor to review your plan.

            Click here to see a list of potential business advisors and the form to document your meetings.

Step  6 - upload a pdf of your business plan to the competition site by 11:59 pm on may 31, 2023.,                • first prize - $15,000  ,                • second prize - $10,000,                • third prize - $7500   ,      click here to review the full rules and eligibility requirements of the competition., questions about the startup competition  contact [email protected].

* Do you live in Brooklyn or Queens? We welcome all to participate in the competition and learn how to put a business plan together. However, only residents of Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island who start a business in one of these three boroughs are eligible to win a prize.

Similar competitions are available for residents of Brooklyn and Queens. The Brooklyn Public Library runs the Brooklyn PowerUP! Competition for Brooklyn residents. The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) offers the StartUP! Competition for Queens residents.

Past Winners

New york startup 2022 business plan competition winners:.

First Prize Winner: Melanie Davis, Cutie Box Second Place Winner:  Stephon Vaughns & Kaela Shelby,  Everchild 

2020 New York  Startup! Winners Announced

First Prize Winner of the Bank OZK Community Impact Award:  La Shay B. Green, SoulBites

Second place winner:  madelyn scarpulla, new york ninja academy nyc, honorable mention ● constance barnes -the bronx learning lounge ● monica mohan and wendy qiu -may’d fit llc ● stacy mccoy prime -midnight club, 2020 finalists: , meet the 2019 new york startup business plan competition finalists.

Grand Prize Winner:    Maurisa Westbury- Adirah Inc .                                    

First Runner-Up:   Leslie Raucher & Maegan White-Rescue Toolkit, LLC.

Honorable Mention:  Ashley M. Scott-The Happy Glow; Stacy McCoy Prime—Upstream Design Lab, Inc.

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Ny startup 2019 finalists:, adrienne walker & stephanie rogers - the menopause pack, leslie raucher & maegan white - rescue toolkit, llc, diane tinsley - kids dance revolution, stacy mccoy prime - upstream design lab, inc., elona bilovol - cosmetics manufacturing, maurisa westbury - adirah inc., ashley m. scott - the happy glow, ---------------------------------------------------------------,  meet the 2018 new york startup business plan competition finalists.

The top prize of $15,000 went to  Kweer Cards , which crafts unique greeting cards for the LGBTQ+ community. Founded by Ken Moore, Kweer Cards’ growing line of high-quality greeting cards strives to capture the experiences and sentiments of a currently underserved market through inclusive and whimsical designs.    Read the press release.    

2018 Finalists:  

Gladys Henriquez  -- Know My Rights Clothing Co.  Josalyn Mayfield  --- Co.Co. ( Coffee & Cocktails) Kariyma-Hamilton  -Defy Lingerie Kenneth Moore  -----kweercards Maureen Miller  -----Mo Possibilities Inc.  Pamela Hawkins ----Organic Love Beauty, LLC Pooja Khanna  -------Begin-to-Heal, LLC. Siu-Kwan Tsui   ------CyberGuardian Steve Roberts -------Mangi Ventrice Lam   -------Classkite

Honorable Mention:  Pooja Khanna Josalyn Mayfield

Read the press release about the winner

**  View the finalists talking about their plans.

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The New York Public Library’s Thomas Yoseloff Business Center​’s Annual New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition   provides Manhattan, Bronx, and Staten Island-based startup entrepreneurs with the opportunity to win seed money. Grant awards include $15,000 for the first place winner and $7,500 for the runner up.

To be eligible, businesses must operate in Manhattan, the Bronx, or Staten Island, attend all 4 training sessions held online January through April 2022, meet with a business advisor (the Pace SBDC can serve in this role), and meet with a business librarian . Further, all businesses must have earned less than $10,000 in revenues.  The deadline to apply is January 31st, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET.

Rules and Eligibility - New York StartUP! 2023 Business Plan Competition

1. Entry Form   Competition entrants must complete an online entry form in the New York StartUP! 2023 Business Plan Competition site to enter the Competition. (This competition will hereafter be known as “NY StartUP! 2023”).

2. Age   All NY StartUP! 2023 applicants, whether individuals or members of a team, must be 18 years of age or older to win a cash prize. Documentation may be required.

3. Location The business proposed in the NY StartUP! 2023 entry form must operate in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island.

4. Residency All individual applicants and team members must be legal residents or U.S. citizens. All individual applicants and/or team leaders must have a legal residence in Manhattan, The Bronx, or Staten Island. Documentation will be required of the finalists.

5. Start-Ups Only    All businesses must have ideas or business models in the start-up phase. Operating businesses that have earned more than $10,000 in revenue are not eligible to enter the competition.

6. For-Profit Businesses Only NY StartUP! 2023 is a business plan competition for for-profit businesses. Non-profits are not eligible to enter.

7. Individual and Team Entry NY StartUP! 2023 entrants may enter only once, either as an individual or as part of a team. If entering as a team, the team must appoint one individual as the team leader and main contact, and one other as the secondary contact. The team leader must be a resident of Manhattan, the Bronx, or Staten Island.  The team leader's entry form must list all individuals on the team. 

8. Orientation All participants must attend a virtual  Orientation Q & A Session. 

9.  Entry Form Entry forms must be submitted on the NY StartUP! 2023 site no later than 11:59 PM on January 31, 2023.

10. Training Workshops   All eligible individual entrants and either the leader or secondary member of an eligible team are required to attend all FOUR (4) virtual training workshops held from January through April 2023 .    

11. Meet with a Business Librarian ( Consultation online) Each applicant must meet at least once with a business librarian before March 15, 2023.   Click here to schedule a consultation.

 12. Meet with a Business Advisor   Each applicant must meet at least once with a business advisor during the Competition. Click here for a  list of advisory groups .

13. Deadline Your Business Plan must be uploaded to the StartUP! Competition site no later than 11:59 PM on May 31, 2023.

14. Judging Criteria Applicants must read and become familiar with the Judging Criteria and Elements of a Business Plan template.

15. Ineligibility Employees or their family members from either The New York Public Library or Wells Fargo are not eligible to enter NY StartUP! 2023 either individually or as any part of a team.

16. Finalists  Finalists will be asked to provide their 2021 tax return and an NYS driver license or an NYS non-driver ID card.

17. Disbursement of Funds Prize money will be awarded to each winner following the end of the competition. The winning NY StartUP! 2023 entrant or team will have sole responsibility for deciding how to allocate or otherwise use its prize proceeds.   Please note that the awards are taxable and that The New York Public Library must have the winner’s Social Security number before a check can be issued.

18. All decisions of the judges are final.

19. Confidentiality By the submission of your Business Plan, you understand and agree that a short description of your Business Plan will be considered a “public summary” of your plan and may be used in public documentation related to the competition. The Library will provide a copy of your business plan to competition staff and judges and will inform them that no additional copies are to be made. 

20. Disqualification  Violation of any one or multiple rules for eligibility will result in disqualification from NY StartUP! 2023 at any point.

Please Note: Interpretation and enforcement of these regulations are at the sole discretion of the New York Public Library and the decisions of the judges are final.

Questions about the StartUp! Competition?  Contact  [email protected]

NY StartUP! 2023 Business Plan Competition: Virtual Workshops

The 13th annual new york startup business plan competition is closed.  check back in the fall of 2023 for details about the 2024 competition.,  workshop #1 - business planning research and resources, february 2023 workshop #2 - developing your marketing plan, ***************************************************************************************************************, march 2023  workshop #3 - developing financial statements , april 2023 workshop #4 - pitching your plan.

Questions about the StartUp! Competition?  Contact [email protected]