SBS ACTING COMMISSIONER DYNISHAL GROSS, DVS COMMISSIONER JAMES HENDON ANNOUNCE EXPANSION OF NYC BOSS UP PROGRAM FOR VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE K & R MOELIS FAMILY FOUNDATION
NYC Boss Up for Veteran Entrepreneurs Program Will Now Be Open to Military Spouses and Gold Star Families
NEW YORK – New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Acting Commissioner Dynishal Gross, New York City Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) Commissioner James Hendon, and the K & R Moelis Family Foundation, and FJC - A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds today announced the expansion of the NYC Boss Up Veteran Entrepreneurship Program and open application period for the second cohort. The program will provide up to 10 selected winners with a grant of $20,000 and enrollment in SBS’s small business education program, FastTrac® GrowthVenture™ for Veterans, to help veteran and military family entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses.
NYC Boss Up is a philanthropic program committed to encouraging excellence in entrepreneurship across New York City. The K & R Moelis Family Foundation committed $200,000 to support the first veterans’ cohort in 2023, which provided nine veteran-owned small businesses with $20,000 each.
Following the success of the first round of the NYC Boss Up Veteran Entrepreneurship Program in 2023, this year the program is expanding beyond NYC’s more than 135,000 military veterans to include their spouses and other family members. Entrants must be a current small business owner or in the process of starting a business in NYC and is either a veteran of the United States military, a military spouse, or the child, sibling, spouse, or parent of a service member who died as the result of active-duty military service (a “Gold Star” family member). By connecting these entrepreneurs with grants and access to the world-class FastTrac® education program, NYC Boss Up will prepare selected business owners to take their enterprises to the next level.
Applications will be open through Sunday, September 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. To learn more about eligibility requirements and the application process, individuals are encouraged to attend one of two online information sessions at 5:30 p.m. on both Wednesday, July 24, and Tuesday, August 20. Those interested in attending must register through the SBS Eventbrite page.
Acceptable forms of proof and identification documents can be found at the NYC Boss Up Veteran Entrepreneurship Program website.
Eligible applications will be reviewed to select finalists, culminating in a pitch and panel interview featuring SBS Acting Commissioner Dynishal Gross, DVS Commissioner James Hendon, veterans, and stakeholders in the philanthropic and veteran communities. Applicants will be notified if they are selected to advance to the pitch competition no later than October 4, 2024.
Full press release: https://lnkd.in/e46uZuvd