Small Business Opportunities
Which opportunity is right
for me?
There are several types of opportunities available for small business owners. Each type has specific characteristics that are important to understand.
Check back frequently for new opportunities.
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Accelerators & Incubators
Accelerators and Incubators are programs that give businesses access to mentorship, investors and other support that help them become stable, self-sufficient and scaleable.
Learning Opportunities
As a small business owner, there is always something more to learn. Learning opportunities like workshops, seminars, and trainings teach business skills you can use to grow your business.
Capacity Building
Capacity Building and Technical Assistance opportunities build operational capacity with support in areas like marketing, web development, accounting, point of sales and more.
Vending Opportunities
Local vendor opportunities are a great way to get out in the community and get your business name out there. Opportunties might include pop-up shops, festivals, fairs and concerts.
Contests & Competitions
During business contests and competitions, entrepreneurs present their business concepts to a panel of judges for a chance to win a cash prize or investment capital.
Narrow your search
Detroit SOUP Powered by BUILD Institute
SOUP is a great way to raise money, build community support and get connections to local resources that can help you carry out your project.
Your proposal doesn’t need to be a novel. Keep it short, quick and to the point! You have 4 minutes to present.
Your idea can be about ANYTHING the only criteria is that your idea be for-profit or social enterprise and that you be in the idea stage…not yet established. (if you are unsure about your structure, submit anyways, our board will vote for the best ideas we receive.
The idea must be about the 138 square miles of Detroit, Highland Park, and Hamtramck.
You do not have to be a resident to submit an idea.
We DO NOT email you to say that we received your application. When you hit the word “submit” a screen will prompt you that we received it.
Save your work ahead of time. Once you submit your application there isn’t an email sharing your work post submission. Save it so if you want to resubmit later you have the language you want for later!
Anything you submit (except your phone number) will be used to print at the dinners. So make sure you edit, look for spelling errors, etc.
We DO NOT use technology to present (aka PowerPoint or things that are based on the idea of the projector)
If you have never been to a SOUP before…come! See what this is about. This is different than anything you submitted to before. It’s not formal, anything can happen, magic is everywhere. We strongly suggest attending before submitting.
Contact soup@buildinstitute.org if you have questions.
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Learn More
Bank of America Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell
The Bank of America Institute for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Cornell is a collaboration between Bank of America and Cornell University to deliver an online 12-week program that provides women entrepreneurs with the skills, knowledge and resources to build, manage, and scale a successful business. Delivered through Cornell, participants who complete the program will receive a certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. Women entrepreneurs can register for the online program, which is offered at no cost. The online curriculum was created by professors from Cornell, and covers topics such as customer discovery techniques, legal considerations, funding options, product development, digital marketing, and communications skills.
Eligibility:
The program targets women who are starting, running, or expanding a business. Participants should be past the stage of early brainstorming, should have taken some initial steps towards focusing on a particular context and should have assembled at least modest levels of human and capital resources. There is not a strict guideline regarding years of operation, but a rough guideline is 0-5 years. For companies operating with more years of experience, the curriculum may still be useful if the business is in the process of reinvigoration or is launching an entrepreneurial initiative. We welcome participants from diverse industries, nationalities, and geographies, and we encourage applicants of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientation, or other dimensions of diversity. Participants do need to be proficient in English to benefit from the English-language version of the course. As of July 2021, we are also offering a Spanish-language version of the course for those who would feel more comfortable completing the program in Spanish
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To contact the Institute, please call or text 607-252-6746. This phone line is not staffed (calls will go to voicemail) but we will receive your voice message or text message and respond via text within 24 business hours.
If you have specific questions related to technical assistance with the course platform or need to reschedule existing courses, please email ec_helpdesk@cornell.edu.