Featured News 

2023 HCC Business Plan Competition

Season Opens

2023 HCC Business Plan Competition 

Application Period Opens January 6

Prepare Now to Apply

The annual HCC Business Plan Competition is for Proposed, Startup and Existing Entrepreneurs. All accepted contestant teams get free training and advising late February through May to refine and polish their plans to start and/or grow their business.  The top five teams win prize money!  All graduating teams feel like winners because they all come out with the greatest value, a stronger written plan, slide deck and video to pursue their business goals and to seek funding. 

Are you ready to apply?  

Proposed and Startup* Entrepreneurs - Steps to Apply  

1) Complete One Prequalifying Class or Program and 

2) Attend the Financial Webinar/Workshop

3) Apply in January

Have you completed ONE of these Prequalifying Classes or Programs?

• HCC Creating a Successful Business Plan Online Continuing Education Class - Still Available! - Quick Sign Up. It takes just three minutes to sign up and takes about 24 hours of your time! Scroll down for More and to Sign Up.
• Small Business Success Series by HCC^©  
• Small Business Management - College Credit Class at HCC
• Entrepreneurship and Economic Development - College Credit Class at HCC
• Liftoff Houston Startup Competition
• Houston Area Urban League Small Business University
• University of Houston SURE Program

If you still need the class/program scroll down to sign up for the self-paced class.  

If you still need the financial workshop/webinar sign up for one of the January financial webinars. Then submit a strong application January 6-27. Have you completed the above already? Then take a sneak peak at Application questions and get started on your answers before the Application period opens! 

* You are considered to be a Startup Entrepreneur for the purposes of our competition if you have not yet achieved six continuous months of net profit prior to or during the pandemic.

Existing Entrepreneurs - Steps to Apply

1) Financial Webinar/Workshop - Sign Up Now for a January Virtual Webinar & attend it.

2) Apply

All Applicants Should Submit a Strong Application between January 6 - January 27

Ready to start working on your application? Our Competition Website gives you a sneak peak at the application's business concept questions, if you'd like to start working up your answers!  

www.hccs.edu/businessplancompetition

Featured January Events

2023 HCC Business Plan Competition

Launch Party - Reception, Showcase & Orientation

Join us on Zoom - Wednesday, January 11, 2023

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Who is invited?  

Proposed, startup and existing entrepreneurs who are interested in applying for the 2023 HCC Business Plan Competition; competition leaders, trainers, sponsors, judges, advisors, community supporters and past HCC BPC winners, finalists and graduates!  

Come join us to mix, mingle and learn more from all parties involved! Meet past competition graduates, winners, our ecosystem partners, and competition leaders, trainers and advisors signing on for the 2023 HCC BPC Advisor Cohort.  

• 5:00 - 6:00 pm - Reception & Showcase.
• 6:00 - 7:00 pm - Orientation for interested competition applicants.

It's a celebration of all involved to showcase our past competition alumni and introduce all who make this outstanding competition possible. 

Welcome to those applying and to those considering applying for the 2023 HCC BPC during the January 6-27 Application period! This optional but awesome gathering is a great way to start the year and connect with our competition and entrepreneurial community! 

 For More & To RSVP Now

Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan increases your chances of obtaining financing and keeps your business strategically focused. 

You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. And most importantly, you will have completed the first-and most difficult-step on the path to small business success.

If you are a proposed or startup entrepreneur, this class prepares you to apply for the Spring 2023 HCC Business Plan Competition (BPC)!  

How it works: Complete 12 online lessons (each about 1.5 - 2 hours) with quizzes to advance to next lesson. At the end of the 12 lessons, take the multiple choice test to complete the class. (Hint - Save your quizzes; they prepare you very well for the final). The whole class takes about 15-24 hours of your time. 

Easy Enrollment - Takes just three minutes to register for the class!  

Choose Self-Paced Class if you are taking it to apply for the 2023 HCC BPC!

Self-Paced - Sign up any day any time!  Our Continuing Education department gives you three months from the date you sign up to finish the class. However, for those taking the class as a prerequisite to apply for the 2023 HCC Business Plan Competition ("Competition"), we recommend that you finish the class by the Competition's Application Deadline of January 27 or by no later than February 13.   

Click below for more info on each lesson and to sign up for the class!  

Register Now 

For proposed, startup and existing business owners. A two-and-a-half hour webinar that sets you up for success. Know your numbers and plan right for 2023!

This virtual webinar is a prerequisite for the team lead of all teams applying for the 2023 HCC Business Plan Competition. Other entrepreneurs are also welcome!

Featured Topics:

• Understanding the Primary Purpose of your Business
• How to Generate Revenue from your Business Idea
• Understanding concepts such as Burn-rate, Breakeven, and Cash-Flow
• Determining Cash Needs of Business
• Financing Cash Needs
• Financial Record Keeping



Funding Panel - Learn and ask questions from our financial resource partners.

Event Fee: Free to all entrepreneurs 

Choose One of the Following Financial Webinar Dates and Register Now: 

Thursday, January 19, 2023, 2:00pm - 4:30pm

Saturday, January 21, 2023, 9:30am - 12:00pm

Saturday, January 28, 2023, 9:30am - 12:00pm

Catapult Art Gallery I Academy

Celebrates Grand Opening!

Carmen Flores

Catapult Art Gallery

Founder, Visual Artist

HCC Business Plan Competition

2022 Winner - Honorable Mention

Small Business Success Series by HCC

2021 Graduate - Cohort 5

We congratulate Carmen and share excerpts from our recent Interview.

Brief Description of your business - Catapult houses an art gallery, an art academy, and two studios for lease for creative professionals in the same building. The Gallery specializes in contemporary art. We show, promote, and sell the artworks of rising local and national visual artists. The Academy offers art classes for kids and adults. Our art program focuses on developing art abilities and leadership skills. We are located in Richmond Texas, historic district. https://www.catapult-art.com/

What made you decide to open an art gallery & academy? I've always loved art. I have a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Mexico and a Masters from Savannah College of Art and Design from Georgia.  I moved to Houston 2007 and love the city. I've been teaching Art privately for 15 years and believe with all my heart that art heals and helps people thrive.  During the pandemic, I started dreaming about opening my own studio and I found HCC through SCORE. 

So what’s special about your Art Studio, your concept?  What is your differentiation or your competitive advantage? Our differentiation is a step-by-step advancing curriculum designed to develop not only art skills, but also personal traits that will help students to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. They will practice problem solving, self-regulation, speaking skills, leadership skills, and more, while the student earns higher levels as they move through the program.  Our location also offers a competitive advantage. Catapult Art Studio is located in the heart of the beautiful Historic District, Richmond. There’s little competition in the area. That’s makes us special. And we’ll contribute to make Richmond also special because by having an art studio and gallery in the area, the city can apply to be designated a Culture Art District.

Grand Opening Celebration December 1, 2022

Congratulations Carmen! As one of our winners in the 2022 HCC Business Plan Competition and grad of our Small Business Success Series by HCC, your full-on-full efforts to apply the learning and tools along the way from idea to launch are outstanding! YOU are creating such strategic progress and success! Your efforts will continue to help you navigate year one and on for you and Catapult Gallery I Academy. We are proud to be a part of your journey as it continues to unfold! Thanks to all at HCC who have supported Carmen through our programs and on her journey!

See below for Carmen's HCC TV Interview in August. The interview was after her win in the competition and as she was pursuing her November soft opening and Grand Opening on December 1st!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO INTERVIEW - CARMEN FLORES on HCCTV

Kiley Summers - SpenDebt

Kiley Summers

SpenDebt

Founder, CEO

HCC Business Plan Competition

2017 Winner - $8,000, 2nd Place

Kiley has Grown SpenDebt and Launched Diversity Fund Houston

Brief Business Description - SpenDebt is an application that deducts micropayments (i.e. $1.00) with every debit card and banking transaction, allowing customers to automatically spend-and-payoff debt at the same time. SpenDebt SaaS micropayment solution that supports enterprise and business customers recovering payments, including arrearages, from their customers every their every day transactions. https://spendebt.com/

How did the HCC Business Plan Competition help you?  

The HCC competition was different than from the others as the finals weren't public. They required longer 15-minute presentations before a committee of judges who had only read my executive summary, as if they were potential investors or funders. Then there was another 10 minutes answering questions in a conversational way back and forth with the judges. It helped bring out the best in me and prepared me for that intense kind of experience for future fundraising.

How have you evolved the concept over the years? 

 In the initial years, SpenDebt was only B2C. We are now B2B as well. Our B2C strategy still helps consumers pay down their debt. Now Businesses can use SpenDebt to help recover payment from their customers from their everyday transactions. We provide companies with a way to improve their accounts receivables by giving their customers a new payment option to use to pay down what they owe.

In the past five years, you've been able to raise money, sustain and evolve SpenDebt via pitch competitions and accelerators. Tell us more.   

It takes a lot of capital to get into the fintech space. I got an opportunity in 2019, relocating for one year to participate in a $50,000 equity free grant from Arch Grants in the City of St. Louis, where I grew up. We also received a $100,000 accelerator investment while we were there. We returned to Houston in 2020. We began to pitch the idea to Mastercard during 2021; a time when greater focus was coming to light on ongoing racial disparities with the killing of George Floyd. We were the first early-stage financial tech company accepted into the Mastercard Start Path program 2021 and this further helped fund our B2B strategy roll out.

You've also gotten into some very important work in recent years. Tell us about Diversity Fund Houston.

According to the Kapor Capital Report, from February 2020 to February 2021, there were 11,790 companies funded with investments totaling $288 billion. Of those companies, only 222 were black-led companies; which is an abysmal 1.3%.  Knowing that statistic, understanding the Houston eco-system and understanding the pain that I went through as a founder seeking to raise capital; I teamed up with Philip Yates and Tiffany Williams to raise and launch a fund dedicated to black and brown founders who have technology-based businesses at the friends and family stage. The fund launched in December of 2021. We are currently building and raising $10 million fund from accredit investors to then invest in early stage companies to help close the racial wealth gap. http://thediversityfund.com/

What a story you have unfolding Kiley. HCC is proud to be a part of your journey from the early years, and as it unfolds into the future. We wish you and your family and colleagues the best in your efforts.  

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO INTERVIEW - KILEY SUMMERS on HCCTV

Olivia Martin - KTX Window Cleaning

Olivia Martin

KTX Window Cleaning

Owner, CEO

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition Graduate

2021 Small Business Success Series by HCC Graduate - Cohort 7

2021-2022 HCC Open For Business Grant participant in multiple offerings

Brief Business Description - KTX Window Cleaning was "Voted “BEST OF KATY 2020 - 2021 - 2022” BEST Window Cleaning and Pressure Washing Company in Katy, TX. We provide residential and commercial interior/exterior cleaning services. https://ktxwindowcleaning.com/

Family Owned and Operated - How did you become a small business owner? My husband and I had both reached the top tier of our companies and we wanted something better for our family. Kyle had worked for a window cleaning company for 8 years and I had a knack for marketing. Were in the College Station area. We decided to move closer to family in Katy TX, so we sold our house in College Station and used the money to buy a house in Katy.  My husband and I joined forces and opened our business with a squeegee, a bucket and a magnetic sign.  

Early Years - You started the business in 2018. What were those early years like and how did the pandemic impact your business? Early years were some of the hardest years of my life. We'd hired two employees in January 2020 and then the pandemic hit. We realized that because people had to stay home, they could focus on home improvements and cleaning their homes. We put a lot toward marketing locally. Business was booming but behind the scenes was a little messy and I was struggling to keep my head above water to keep up with our growth.  I was starting to worry that we'd lose all of this if I didn't get some help.  



That's around the time you found out about HCC. How did that happen? 

Yes, a local business leader told me about the Small Business Success Series by HCC. Over ten years ago, I was about to get my associates degree from Blinn College, but I stopped when I got married and had children. Then we moved here and started the business.  Through those first three years we didn't have a business plan. I didn't know much about running a business. We didn't get a loan or have family and friends investing, we started the business with $500. We didn't have good credit. Used all the money from selling our College Station house to buy our house in Katy.  So, I jumped on the opportunity, applied to get in and was accepted in November 2021.

How did it help? The Small Business Success Series changed everything.  It helped me look at what I was doing, go back to square one and get organized. Being in the class with other entrepreneurs was so good. I was so hungry to be with other entrepreneurs who were passionate about their businesses too. We were all moving our businesses forward together. I also went through the Open for Business Building Better Credit Series on Wednesdays and started working on building my credit rating. 

In Spring 2022 you applied for and got into the HCC Business Plan Competition. What happened next?  The competition helped me create a plan to expand my business, get some systems and processes in place to handle the growth and get ready for more. I got it all written down and began taking those action steps. Now I've implemented almost every aspect of my plan. We have grown to 11 employees and moved into a 4,000 s.f. location the summer after the competition.  I learned a lot from Nanette Ray's financial training both before and during the competition.  I'm proud to say, now I have a good credit score; and my husband and I both know a lot more about the numbers to pay attention to when it comes to our business.  We have had another record year of growth!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO INTERVIEW - Olivia Martin on HCCTV

More Alumni Success Stories in upcoming newsletters! 

Sponsor Spotlight - SBA Lending Awards

Announced at HAGGL Ceremony

Congratulations Wallis Bank, Allegiance Bank, Capital CDC and Wells Fargo

HCC is honored and proud to have these outstanding lenders support our programs and entrepreneurs

The Houston Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (HAGGL) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) Houston District announced lending awards at the HAGGL annual Holiday Luncheon and the light shined bright on our sponsors!

We congratulate the following lenders:

Wallis Bank

• 7(a) SBA HDO - Exemplary Local Economic Boost Award - For notable commitment to the small businesses of the SBA Houston District with over $65 Million in loan approvals through the 7(a) Loan Programs in 2022.

Allegiance Bank

• SBA Director's Impact Award - Allegiance Bank received the prestigious SBA Houston Director’s Award for outstanding production in both the 7a and 504 loan programs, community involvement, participation in SBA lender matchmaking events, finance panels, and several other SBA access to capital events.
• 504 - SBA HDO Exemplary Local Economic Boost Award - For outstanding commitment to small businesses of the SBA Houston District with over $34 Million in third-party loan approvals through the 504 Lending Program in 2022.

Capital CDC

• 504 SBA HDO - Exemplary Local Economic Boost Award - For outstanding commitment to small businesses of the SBA Houston District with over $64 Million in project loan approvals through the 504 Lending Program in 2022.

Wells Fargo

• 7a SBA HDO - Exemplary Small Businesses Helped Award - For notable commitment to the small businesses of the SBA Houston District with 89 loan approval units through the 7(a) Lending Programs in 2022.

Our Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship at HCC NW thanks HAGGL, the SBA Houston District, and all of the executives and staff at all of the lenders, past and present, who have worked with us over the years to give back through sponsorships, advising to our entrepreneurs and participation in our programs.

L to R: Bobby Billberry, SBA, Winston Labbe SBA, Gary Henderson, Allegiance Bank, Rajiv Bhavsa, Wallis Bank, Sandra Louvier, HCC, and Harry Leach, Capital CDC. More Pics - 12 14 22 HAGGL Awards Luncheon :

HCC thanks Wallis Bank, Allegiance Bank and Capital CDC for supporting our HCC Business Plan Competition. We thank Wells Fargo for supporting our Small Business Success Series by HCC^© and our new Open for Business Grant.

While obstacles from the pandemic have been challenging, we have faced them together as a community within the Houston entrepreneurial eco-system and we look forward to our continued pivots, innovations and recovery with you in 2023 and beyond to empower entrepreneurs and make a positive impact together throughout Houston!

Thank You Again to All of Our

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition Sponsors

More About Each 2022 Competition Sponsor

Announcing 2023 Sponsors in the Spring! 

More News From

Update Snapshot - Our Success is Your Success!

Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship

We are honored to relay the success of our 2nd full academic year with our new name thanks to Glenda and David Regenbaum and their generous $100,000 endowment of our Center at HCC Northwest. Thank you again David for dedicating your time and experience to help us develop and grow our programs.  

Thanks to Dr. Zachary Hodges, President, HCC Northwest for starting entrepreneurship at HCC and remaining one of our strongest leaders and ongoing champions! Thanks to the HCC Northwest Leadership Team and all staff and faculty supporting our offerings and spreading an entrepreneurial mindset to and through our community.  

Thanks to Dr. Cesar Maldonado, Chancellor, HCC District, for our strategic plan "Embracing Houston's Future" as we focus on the long-term priorities of: 1. Student Success, 2. Diversity and Equity, 3. Personalized Learning, 4. Academic Rigor, 5. Community Investment, and 6. College of Choice. You empower us to pursue our Plan while also advancing innovation and resiliency as levers to affect transformation and continuous improvement.

Thanks to Dr. Kurt Ewen, Vice Chancellor of Strategy, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, Chief Transformation Officer, HCC District, for leading and empowering us to strategically plan, innovate and grow entrepreneurial offerings across the HCC System. Thanks to you and those under your leadership who help drive our growing contribution to creating greater economic opportunity and equity for talented, diverse and motivated aspiring and existing entrepreneurs across Houston.

Thanks to Dr. Maya Durnovo, Associate Vice Chancellor-Entrepreneurship, HCC District, for leading our centers and building programs that bolster our economy and help businesses build wealth. With 10 signature programs, national and local awards and our recent Open for Business and Pandemic Recovery Center grant programs, we are looking forward to more great accomplishments together with all of our internal and external partners. 

2021-2022 Fiscal Year – Our success comes from three primary signature programs developed by the Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship at HCC Northwest. In Fiscal 2021/2022: four cohorts graduated from the Small Business Success Series by HCC^© ; we celebrated the 15th anniversary of our Annual HCC Business Plan Competition; and we continued the roll out of the HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling^© :  

• Fall 2021 - 35 events with 2,249 in attendance.
• Spring-Summer 2022 - 38 events with 2,600 in attendance. 
• HCC Business Plan Competition – A series of 13 events from January thru June – We awarded $26,000 in prize money to the top five teams and in-kind prizes valued at $ 61,600 to 22 graduating teams.  
• Small Business Success Series by HCC^© - We graduated Cohorts 5,6,7 & 8 in Fiscal 2021/2022 for a total attendance of 2,068 and 144 graduates. We moved swiftly to collaborate & deliver more in Fall 2022.
• HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling^© - We delivered another digital six-session open-access series in March on Zoom with total attendance averaging 139 per session for total attendance of 836. We also rolled out our first smaller on-site application-based series with expanded programming and celebrated 15 graduates at Gallery Furniture in May, while also honoring Jim McIngvale at our HCC Foundation Gala.
• Total Attendance - Fiscal YE 2020-2021: 73 events 4,900 - This includes our three signature programs and other entrepreneurial events: such as our monthly Digital Marketing Clinics with Beth Guide; our SBA Lender Borrower Matchmaking events; and our annual Jr. Achievement "Ignite the Spark" event for city-wide high schools throughout Greater Houston.

Since 2016, our Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship has delivered entrepreneurial training events attracting 16,750 in total attendance in collaboration with 30 strategic partners.

FALL/WINTER 2022 UPDATE 

We have been preparing January events for the 2023 HCC Business Plan Competition; graduated a record number of Small Business Success Series by HCC^© cohorts in collaboration with our OEI partners; and plans are underway with Jim McIngvale and WorkTexas to announce a Spring Schedule for the HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling^© . 

The HCC Business Plan Competition is in its 16th year. Profound thanks to our original partners at Newspring for the legacy you've helped us create and carry forward. Director, Sandra Louvier has been involved in the competition for the last 13 years. Since then, 293 teams (570 contestants) have graduated from the competition. We have raised and awarded: $338,000 in seed money to 65 finalist teams; and in-kind prizes valued at $230,000 and $188,000 in membership discounts to 293 graduating teams. Volunteer hours for 13 years, contributed from competition leaders, trainers and 50-60 advisors annually are valued in total at $2.525 million. In total, over 13 years, the HCC Business Plan Competition has delivered an estimated impact to Houston entrepreneurs of $3.3 million.  

Small Business Success Series by HCC^© - This series was offered numerous times this Summer and Fall thanks to multiple teams within the Office of Entrepreneurial Initiatives (OEI) including: Open for Business, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank; the MBDA Pandemic Recovery Center, sponsored by the MBDA; and our Glenda & David Regenbaum Center Entrepreneurship at HCC NW, sponsored by Wells Fargo. Our OEI and HCC Southeast Ctr. for Entrepreneurship also collaborated with the Mexican Consulate to offer three cohorts in Spanish, sponsored by a grant from the University of Houston Small Business Development Center.

• Spanish Cohorts - Cohorts 9, 10 and 11 were delivered in Spanish, in July, August and September; one of which was virtual and two were delivered onsite at the Mexican Consulate.
• English Cohorts - Cohorts 12, 13 and 14, September through November delivered as follows:
• Cohort 12, Virtual, by Open for Business;
• Cohort 13, Onsite by MBDA Pandemic Recovery Center and Center for Entrepreneurship at HCC Southeast
• Cohort 14, Virtual by our Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship-HCC Northwest.

Kuddos to our sponsors, facilitators, the HCC Office of Entrepreneurial Initiatives team, and to our delivery teams with the OEI partners mentioned here! A schedule for Spring 2023 cohorts will be announced soon!

Mattress Mack School of Selling^© - We conducted another application-based onsite series this Fall 2022 held at Gallery Furniture and celebrated 31 graduates. We have planning meetings underway for an open-access digital offering in March 2023 for this 6-session series, like the ones we offered in 2021 and Spring 2022. We are also planning another application-based expanded curriculum for our onsite program in April/May 2023. More news on this soon!

It's the People! Thank You!

The thank all the fine people that make this huge synergistic effort happen throughout the year:

• Star Staff and Internal Partners - Special thanks yet again to Sabiha Dholkawala and Flora Renteria who joined our Ctr. for Entrepreneurship NW team during the 2020 pandemic and hit the ground running! You are entrepreneurial, open-minded and have an outstanding ability to pivot, develop and implement solutions and come to work ready to have fun, deliver results and shine! Thanks also to our Internal Partners - Office of Entrepreneurial Initiatives - Rene Blake, Open for Business - Tamela Austin, Karen Sharp and Carola Medina, Pandemic Recovery Center - April Felton, Weltonia Harris, Christina Cornelius and Kim Vera, MBDA - Marshette Turner, Jessica Vasquez, Deidre Sutton, Tanya McGilbra, and Austin Tenette; HCC Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses- Dr. Kimberly Burroughs, Mishele Lamshing, Terri Almendarez, LIz Carreno, Michael Davenport, Ernest Davis and faculty; Center for Entrepreneurship-HCC Southeast - Susie Molina and Center for Entrepreneurship-HCC Southwest - Ravi Brahmbhatt. We also thank Jordan Carswell, Robin Nagy, Connie Leon, and the team in the West Houston Institute, the HCC Foundation, HCC Procurement, HCC Communications, HCC TV, HCC CE, HCC IT, HCC Legal, HCC Ops, HCC Student Services, HCC Career Planning & Placement, HCC Corporate College, HCC Workforce and all our partners at HCC District and across the system in our Centers of Excellence who support our efforts and practice the growth mindset!
• Star Facilitators, Entrepreneurs in Residence and Volunteer Advisors & Alumni: Special Thanks to: David Regenbaum, Austin Tenette, Ned Mueller, Kimberly Penn, Dr. Kimberly Burroughs, Thea Goldin Smith, Nanette Ray, Rebecca Schultz, Leeanne Aguilar, Lyndsey Brantley, Beth Guide and all the volunteer advisors, trainers, alumni and panelists who support our programs and give invaluable advising and training to our proposed, startup and existing entrepreneurs!  
• Special Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners: We have more than 30 in all and you’ll see them mentioned throughout the year in our newsletters. Special thanks to: our Recurring Sponsors Wells Fargo Bank, Gallery Furniture, Wallis Bank, LiftFund, Allegiance Bank, Frost Bank, Legacy Rags, Capital CDC, Faith in Business, Accel Lifestyle, Permit Us Now, Three Brothers Bakery, Camellia Alise and Texas Swim Academy; and our in-kind sponsors: Houston West Chamber of Commerce, True Color Graphics, Vertical Web, Synerlock, The Cannon, and TNR Advisors & Management Consultants; and our internal and external entrepreneurial eco-system partners such as the SBA Houston District, SCORE Houston, City of Houston-Mayor’s Office of Business Opportunity, Liftoff Houston, UofH SURE program, Houston Area Urban League, the UofH SBDC, Junior Achievement of South Texas, local management districts and chambers and so many others…. Our success is your success!
• Special thanks to our alumni and all of of you who have attended our offerings to bring us to 16,750 in total attendance from 2016 through now! We thank the aspiring and existing entrepreneurs who have attended our offerings and those of you seeking entrepreneurial skills to grow within your job, get a better job and/or accelerate your career, for you all contribute to the strength and success of Houston's small business community!

HCC is closed for Winter Break from December 20, returning, January 3, 2022. These pandemic years have been challenging and difficult years and our hearts go out to those of us who are suffering from loss or sickness. While we cannot predict what is to come in 2023, it has been our experience that we are better facing it together to provide and tap into, ongoing opportunity, training, resources, hope and inspiration for each of us to overcome our obstacles and make a positive difference in our community.

Best wishes for a safe, peaceful and joyful close to this holiday season and year. We look forward to 2023, turning challenges into opportunities, building on our successes and making the best of what lies before us together!

From all of us, to all of you!

Sandra, David and the c4e Team

About the Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship

HCC Northwest

OUR MISSION: To help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

We do this by offering workshops, seminars, summits, classes and competitive training and advising, while also providing practical knowledge, resources and connections. We are also known for three Signature Programs: the Annual HCC Business Plan Competition, now in its 16th year; the Small Business Success Series by by HCC^©; and the HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling^©

Contact us at c4e@hccs.edu or 713-718-6650

Houston Community College Wins 2022 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Award for Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education

 Houston-based academic group called out top universities and programs from around the world — including one in Houston and another in Texas — that are excelling in educating future entrepreneurs at the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Conference in October.

The GCEC is a consortium of more than 250 university entrepreneurship programs that is headquartered at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, which has been named a top entrepreneurship program itself time and time again. Houston Community College's Office of Entrepreneurial Initiatives (led by Dr. Maya Durnovo) won in the Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education category. The office is known for signature programs like its annual business plan competition, which has been running since 2008. It is also home to the Minority Business Development Agency, created by a grant from the Department of Commerce in 2013, and the MBDA Pandemic Recovery Center. Additionally, the HCC Alief Hayes Campus is in partnership with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, providing 100 hours of instruction and advising and access to capital and an alumni network.

GCEC Award-Innovation Map Article

Houston Community College Wins 2022 Bellwether Award for Entrepreneurial Initiatives

Houston Community College has won the 2022 Bellwether Award for its outstanding and innovative workforce development program: HCC’s Entrepreneurial Initiatives. The Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation’s most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges. Dr. Maya Durnovo, HCC’s chief entrepreneurial initiatives officer leads HCC’s mission of helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses to bolster the local economy, create jobs and build Houston’s ecosystem by starting and growing small businesses, including minority-, veteran- and women-owned businesses. Dr. Durnovo said. “I am so fortunate to have a highly motivated and passionate team that strives for excellence in everything they do.”

Houston Community College Receives 2021 Diversity In Business Award from the Houston Business Journal!

Congratulations to all students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs (aspiring & existing); and to all our community participants, supporters, volunteers, partners and sponsors who collaborate with us to make awards like this possible! Congratulations also to all of the other honorees and awardees! 

#WeAreHCC # HoustonStrong #HBJDiversity

Houston Community College 

2020 Entrepreneurial College of the Year

October. 6, 2020: The Houston Community College System was selected as the winner of the 2020 Entrepreneurial College of the Year award by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) at NACCE's annual conference, where entrepreneurial colleges from across the U.S. gather to share best practices. On behalf of all of our entrepreneurial programs and staff, we thank all of the entrepreneurs, partners, sponsors, volunteers, students, and HCC faculty and staff who have contributed to our efforts! Without your support and dedication to our programs, this wouldn't have been possible!