News from Westchester’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem |
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Featuring news, entrepreneur profiles, and mentorship and growth opportunities |
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Launch1000 Alum's Wellness App Approved by Apple, Available for Download on the App Store
Erica Christ, an alumna of Launch1000, recently launched FMR Wellness, a health and wellness app that has been approved by Apple and is now available for download in the App Store. With this step, Erica can move forward with beta testing for the venture.
A fitness and nutrition expert, Erica entered the Launch1000 program with the goal of launching her pre-pandemic idea of developing outpatient nutrition plans for orthopedic surgery patients. Launch1000 helped Erica to hone her initial plan, make refinements and ultimately develop an app that would allow her to not only create these nutrition plans, but also scale her existing business. She even found a way to maintain the personable, tailored approach to supporting clients that she is known for at her brick-and-mortar Pilates studio and bring that personalized service to clients who are using the app.
The FMR mobile app integrates Nutrition and Pilates to assist in Performance, Recovery and Injury Prevention. The scheduling feature allows the user to book and make a secure payment for both private Pilates and nutrition consultations, offered in studio or virtually. Additional features include a customized, self-guided nutrition program created by a Registered Dietitian and the ability to playback sessions to train on your own time.
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Apply for Launch1000 Today
Do you, or does someone you know, want to launch a new venture? Applications are now open for Launch1000.
Building on the success of Launch1000 in 2021, this year’s program continues with the goal of enabling Westchester residents to start a business or develop an income stream for themselves and their families. New this year is a Dual Language cohort (English and Spanish Program) – participants will be supported by bilingual coaches and mentors. For more information about the Spanish/English program, visit:
Upcoming Information Sessions
Monday, March 14 (Spanish)
12:00 PM
Tuesday, March 15 (English)
10:00 AM
Thursday, March 17 (English)
12:00 PM
Thursday, March 17 (Spanish)
6:30 PM
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Westchester County Business FIRST Grant Training: March 18
The Westchester County Office of Economic Development is now accepting applications for the 2022 Westchester County Business FIRST grant program. This year’s grant program will provide up to $17 million to support nonprofits and religious organizations facing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The application deadline is Friday, March 25 at 5:00 PM.
To be eligible for a grant, the organization’s primary location must be in Westchester County. The organization must be currently open with plans to stay open, or temporarily closed with plans to reopen in 2022.
For more information on the application process, visit
There will be a training session for organizations who are interested in applying on Friday, March 18 at 9:00 AM. Register here.
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Limited Time Resources for Small Businesses:
Reapply with Women’s Enterprise Development Center (WEDC) Before Funds Run Out
Declined for a New York State Relief Program Grant? Re-apply with WEDC. WEDC counselors can help improve your application and increase the probability of a grant even if you applied and were denied before.
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Creating a Winning Proposal for Responding to New York State Contracting Opportunities
During this workshop from the NYS Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development , Nelson J. Ortiz, Director, LaGuardia PTAC will answer the most frequently asked questions about How do I bid or write a proposal?, review the rules of the road regarding Preparation, Execution, and Follow Up of submitting a successful proposal.
DATE: March 15, 2022
TIME: 2:00 PM
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Video 101: How to Use Video to Market Your Business
In the second part in this three-part series from WEDC, you’ll learn why video content is the most powerful digital marketing material you should be focused on.
Session 2 Topics:
- 2021 statistics on video content in marketing
- Types of video content to engage your audience
- Building a video marketing strategy
- Basics of a well-crafted video
- DIY Approach: Recipe for a simple video you can make
- Working with a production company
DATE: March 16, 2022
TIME: 12:00 PM
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Tax Saving Secrets Every Company Needs to Know Today!
This webinar from Westchester SCORE will cover how to check if you qualify for the Employee Retention Tax Credit BEFORE it expires at the end of the year, without doing a ton of research yourself.
Here’s just a sample of what they’ll answer for you / cover on this incredible webinar:
- What are the top 3 Tax Savings Secrets Every Company Needs To Know Today!
- The fastest way for companies to take advantage of this VITAL resource
- Why your current CPA/tax preparer may not be aware of all the tax credits
- How to get your most urgent tax savings and incentive questions answered now
DATE: March 17, 2022
TIME: 1:00 PM
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Video 101: Ready Your Spotlight for Instagram Reels & YouTube
In the final part in this three-part series from WEDC, you’ll learn about two popular video formats/platforms, Instagram Reels and YouTube, and how to leverage them for greater online visibility.
Session 3 Topics:
- What is an Instagram Reel?
- Creating a Reel on Instagram
- Ensure your Reel gets seen
- What kinds of videos work best for YouTube?
- Uploading a video to YouTube
- Effective YouTube search engine optimization
DATE: March 23, 2022
TIME: 12:00 PM
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Government Contracting 101 with SCORE and Westchester County
This webinar will help businesses understand all the steps necessary to become a responsible and responsive vendor to the Federal, New York State, and New York City Governments. The webinar will provide businesses with an overview of how to get registered to do business with the government, how to get certified with all levels of government, and how to find government contracting opportunities.
DATE: March 31, 2022
TIME: 7:00 PM
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How to Get An Investor to Chase You:
Understanding the Investing Game
Building your business sometimes takes more than just smarts and hard work - it takes money. What do investors look for? Where do I find them? What are the do's and don'ts when approaching investors? What are the upsides and downsides of taking on investment?
In this informative webinar from SCORE, startup investor expert Allen Clary will break down how the investor game is played and won. Allen has directly helped dozens of startups raise capital at all levels, from small five figure checks to seven figure checks.
In this webinar, you'll learn about:
- The different types of investors - and which type you need
- Where to find the right investors - and how to talk to them
- What investors look for and what are their turn-ons and turn-offs
- Strategy to get an investor to chase you, instead of you chasing them
- The most common 'tipping point' to get an investor to write a check
DATE: April 5, 2022
TIME: 1:00 PM
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Have entrepreneurial news or resources we should know about?
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