Competitions to Fund Your Startup

It's hard to get funding, especially for startups. However, there are a lot of options for the dedicated entrepreneur, joining competitions being one of them. It may be nerve-wracking for some, exhilarating for others but one thing's for certain. Even if you don't win, it is a great opportunity to gain presentation experience and feedback. Plus, there are experts who will be available to give advice on business strategies. Also, the publicity associated by just being an entrant is enough to give your business a boost.
That said, here are some of the competitions for businesses this year:

The Pitch 2011 - If you're living anywhere in the United Kingdom, this is the biggest small business competition that side of the planet. Basically, entrepreneurs is given the opportunity to make a sales pitch. Four entrants and a wildcard contestant chosen by the public will vie for the prize package worth £50,000. Entrepreneurs who wish to take part in this competition have until May 9 to enter.


National Association for Moms in Business Grant Competition - The grant for funding the winner of this competition is made possible through crowdfunding. Entries in the competition started March 1st and the competition will run from May 1 - June 15, 2011.Competitors must be members of NAFMIB. All the participants will receive a $2,000 publicity toolkit from PRNewswire as well as features in Moms in Business Magazine, peerbackers.com and momsinbusinessgrant.com. The grad prize winner will receive $10,000 grant package.


IBM SmartCamp - This is an exclusive event for early stage entrepreneurs which is available worldwide. In each location, five finalists will be selected for a one-day event to network with entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts. Applications are still open for the following locations:

• Barcelona, Spain
• New York City, New York
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• Istanbul, Turkey
• London, United Kingdom
• China
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

You could also visit Small Business Trends for a line-up of contests available for small businesses. Their lists are updated every two weeks so you're sure to have a fresh batch that's right for you.