Latino Startup Alliance and Partners Launch $10,000 Contest for Latina Businesswomen in California
Latina entrepreneurs in California just got the opportunity to win $10,000 in financial support and mentorship for their budding business through a new contest sponsored by Square, Xoom and the Latino Startup Alliance.
The contest is called "Soy Empresaria" ("I'm a business woman"), and its accepting business plan submissions from enterprising Latinas until a minute before midnight on Dec. 14, 2014.
Three of the top submissions from California Latina business-owners will be given a free trip to San Francisco and recognized at an awards event in Square's headquarters. Each will be awarded $10,000 in support for their company.
In addition, winners will each receive invaluable coaching from top executives from Square, Xoom and the Latino Startup Alliance.
"Every entrepreneur should have access to tools and resources to start, run, and grow their business so they can compete on the merit of their ideas and work," said Ricardo Reyes, Vice President of Brand at Square in a release to LatinPost. "Soy Empresaria honors Latina entrepreneurs and the impact they make on their communities."
The Latino Startup Alliance, as we previously reported, expanded early this year. The non-profit, aimed at helping Latino tech entrepreneurs get their startups off the ground, officially became a national organization in partnership with Hispanicize in January and is looking to foster more entrepreneurial Latinos and Latinas than ever before.
The expansion provided the Latino Startup Alliance "with a national grid from which it can credibly grow into one of the nation's most vibrant, respected organizations for Latino entrepreneurs and potential investors alike," said Jesse Martinez in a release to Latin Post announcing the expansion.
Although it's a for profit business, Square -- one of the first and most popular mobile payments systems -- has also been notable for fostering Latino entrepreneurship of all stripes through its Spanish-language products. Square launched Somos Square for Spanish-speaking sellers across the U.S. in the late Spring, and by mid-Summer, already had Latino business growth statistics to boast about.
In a year when the public has learned exactly how diverse the tech industry isn't, initiatives to foster new ideas from underrepresented Latinas like Soy Empresaria (#SoyEmpresaria on Twitter) are a welcome breath of fresh air.
For more information on the contest, including how to submit your business plan, visit the official Soy Empresaria website here.