By Taylor Beck

Hey, you. Want $10,000 cash and free office space in Greater Richmond for half a year? Are you a Richmond-based entrepreneur with a creative startup idea, high on imagination but low on funds?

Well then, the i.e.* Startup Competition may be right for you.

The i.e.* (short for “ideas evolving”) initiative was created by the Greater Richmond Chamber, a nonprofit business association founded in 1867 to attract businesses, promote creative entrepreneurship, and build bridges across industries in Richmond. The idea is to catalyze new local businesses to provide jobs, creative new services and products to Greater Richmond locals, and to draw outside capital, talent, tourism, and businesses to our city.

“The mission of the i.e.* initiative is to encourage creativity and innovation in RVA because the best and the brightest people and companies are attracted to the most innovative cities,” says Chrystal Neal, Director of Creativity & Innovation at the Greater Richmond Chamber.

The i.e.* initiative holds regular free events for local small business owners and startup founders, including two recent ones.

“Beyond the Patent Powerhouse,” held at Troutman Saunders law firm earlier this year, was a panel discussion by attorneys and entrepreneurs who advised new business owners to ensure proper business succession planning, take measures to protect intellectual property, form a legal entity, prioritize legal steps, and more. Also on the panel was the 2012 i.e.* Startup Competition winner, Geoff Weathersby, founder and CEO of the online philanthropy portal InLieu. Then, at the i.e.* “Idea Showcase” in March, successful Richmond small business owners offered entrepreneurs advice and inspiration for launching startups. Creative designers, marketers, and other professionals were also on hand to mingle with the new business owners and “barter resources” in preparation for the upcoming Startup Competition. The i.e.* initiative plans to host more similar events in the near future and invites all new startup pioneers and small business owners to join in.

Companies like this know what it is like to be a new business just starting out and trying to make their way through the business sector, that is why tapping into the resources out there is a huge plus for those who need it. These can be marketing and web design resources, perhaps investing in Milwaukee custom business signs or similar for branding purposes, and financial accounting services too. There is plenty of help out there for startups as well. And this does not just stop with physical needs as a new office space but through staff and employees who shape a business too. A startup can survive with hard workers and a good structure which includes looking into some of the best PEO in Florida companies or by checking out PEO services nearer to where the business is based. Incorporating this into a plan and ticking off the relevant needs will be a step in the right direction for these startups.

The Startup Competition’s rules are posted at www.ie-rva.org. The Competition is open to any Richmond entrepreneur with a viable startup idea who went into business after March 19, 2012 or is not yet in business.

Voting will be online and public from March 26 to 28, and finalists will be announced on March 29. The Competition Finale will be presented on April 16, 2013 at Richmond CenterStage, with a distinguished group of successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists acting as judges to make the final call on the winner. The winner of the Competition will receive $10,000 in cash and six months of free office space at New Richmond Ventures, located at 1801 East Cary Street, Studio 1.

The initiative’s hope is that the Competition, and the educational and networking events built around it, will foster an interactive, collaborative community of entrepreneurs, lawyers, marketing and design professionals, and technicians to combine their talents to create new companies, services, and products for the Greater Richmond community.

“We also are striving to get the word out on the national scene that RVA has a thriving entrepreneurial community, that we are a place that embraces new ideas,” explains Neal.

Last year, there were over one million hits on the first morning of online public voting in the i.e.* Startup Competition. The voting frenzy crashed the i.e.* website server and caused a social media sensation. The excitement surrounding the Startup Competition caught the attention of Fast Company, who wrote an article about thriving innovation in RVA, and in August 2012, voted Richmond one of the “Top Ten Most Underrated Hotbeds of American Innovation.”

“It’s a big step in the right direction for us, and we are thrilled,” says Neal.

Ideas grow out of brainstorms. Greater Richmond Chamber believes that the i.e.* initiative offers a place for these storms to grow.lar for branding purposes, and financial accounting services too. There is plenty of help out there for startups as well. And this does not just stop with physical needs as a new office space but through staff and employees who shape a business too. A startup can survive with hard workers and a good structure which includes looking into some of the best PEO in Florida companies or by checking out PEO services nearer to where the business is based. Incorporating this into a plan and ticking off the relevant needs will be a step in the right direction for these startups.

The Startup Competition’s rules are posted at www.ie-rva.org. The Competition is open to any Richmond entrepreneur with a viable startup idea who went into business after March 19, 2012 or is not yet in business.

Voting will be online and public from March 26 to 28, and finalists will be announced on March 29. The Competition Finale will be presented on April 16, 2013 at Richmond CenterStage, with a distinguished group of successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists acting as judges to make the final call on the winner. The winner of the Competition will receive $10,000 in cash and six months of free office space at New Richmond Ventures, located at 1801 East Cary Street, Studio 1.

The initiative’s hope is that the Competition, and the educational and networking events built around it, will foster an interactive, collaborative community of entrepreneurs, lawyers, marketing and design professionals, and technicians to combine their talents to create new companies, services, and products for the Greater Richmond community.

“We also are striving to get the word out on the national scene that RVA has a thriving entrepreneurial community, that we are a place that embraces new ideas,” explains Neal.

Last year, there were over one million hits on the first morning of online public voting in the i.e.* Startup Competition. The voting frenzy crashed the i.e.* website server and caused a social media sensation. The excitement surrounding the Startup Competition caught the attention of Fast Company, who wrote an article about thriving innovation in RVA, and in August 2012, voted Richmond one of the “Top Ten Most Underrated Hotbeds of American Innovation.”

“It’s a big step in the right direction for us, and we are thrilled,” says Neal.

Ideas grow out of brainstorms. Greater Richmond Chamber believes that the i.e.* initiative offers a place for these storms to grow.