BALTIMORE, MD—The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) Center for Business Innovation hosted its 11th annual Business Plan Competition in February, awarding $62,500 in seed money grants to aspiring entrepreneurs in the Baltimore area.

The business plan competition aims to help CCBC students launch new and growing businesses with the resources of mentorship, education, and business acumen.

Prize money was made possible by the generous support of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation, which has awarded more than $2 million in grant funding to expand the Center for Business Innovation over the last seven years.

Arnetta Shaw of Gwynn Oak and her team of McAnthony Thompson Jr. and Gary Chaney from No-Gi Grip, LLC, won the $20,000 top prize in the competition. They will use the prize money to further develop their business plan and pursue their goals of bringing jiu-jitsu to the martial arts and fitness arena.

“We worked hard and stayed the path for an idea that became reality with the help of CCBC’s Business Plan Competition,” said Shaw. “The amount of positive feedback from our mentors, and the enormous help from CCBC’s business development team helped sharpen our edge for success. We encourage future entrepreneurs to follow your dreams and never give up, so next year’s winner could be you.”

The CCBC Center for Business Innovation’s mission is to support and empower CCBC students and alumni who are passionate about using their business skills to make a difference in the community.

Since 2013, the competition has helped launch over 53 new businesses, distributed nearly $400,000 in seed money, and provided mentorship and education opportunities for over 4,500 people.

Dennis Sullivan, executive director of CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation, said, “It is so exciting to work with each of the finalists as they turn their passion for a business into a well thought out business plan and a compelling pitch before the judges. I wish we could award the seed money to all the finalists. We can’t wait to see the winners continue to grow and scale their businesses for years to come.”

Other winners included:

• Second place ($15,000): Lynnae D’Alleva and Kate Hollingsworth, Keel Blade (Dundalk, Md.). Keel Blade manufactures a professional hair cutting tool that blends traditional straight blades and specialized safety razors.
• Third place ($10,000): Joshua Abarquez, Abarkez (Parkville, Md). Abarkez specializes in crafting one-page websites tailored specifically for small and startup businesses, all for a one-time, affordable fee with no commitments.
• Fourth place ($7,500): Jawana Crowder, Lovelace Enterprises LLC (Owings Mills, Md.). Lovelace Enterprises is a beauty salon that offers cosmetology apprenticeships, internship programs and hair styling services to the public.
• Runner-up ($5,000): Tori Burns and Kateri Harried, In Tents Experience LLC (Baltimore, Md.). InTents Experience simplifies the planning of slumber parties with curated celebrations delivered right to your living room.
• Runner-up ($5,000): Mutiat Jinadu, Renis Kitchen & Grill (Elkridge, Md.). Renis Kitchen & Grill is a catering company specializing in sharing Nigerian culture with others.

Video from this year’s virtual event can be viewed below.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.