Cash Prize for Young Entreprenuers...$50,000

I received this letter last week and wanted to share it:

Dear Small Business Supporters,

The Hitachi Foundation Seeks Young Social Entrepreneurs

The Hitachi Foundation is searching the country for the first-ever Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs. They are 18 to 29-year olds, and they are operating viable businesses that create jobs, supply goods or services, or use internal management practices that offer low-wealth individuals in America a leg up. Successful applicants will receive a cash prize of up to $50,000 over two years to support their business as well as technical resources.

We know they are out there: young entrepreneurs who, through their innovative products or practices, help move people out of poverty and into the mainstream of American society.

It’s a great opportunity for a young entrepreneur – up to six will be honored. And it’s an opportunity for us to learn what it takes to run a financially sustainable business that gives a boost to people who feel stuck in place.

But we need help searching. Could you forward this to anybody you know who might want to apply, or who might know America’s first-ever Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs, or post it on your website or blog?

You will find a short video featuring Barbara Dyer, the Foundation’s president and CEO, discussing the program and all the information about how to apply at http://www.hitachifoundation.org/yoshiyama. The first round application deadline is March 22.

A few highlights of the program include:

• The entrepreneur must have established his or her business with the expressed dual purpose of operating a successful business and accelerating upward economic mobility for low-wealth individuals in America;

• He or she must be at least 18 years old, and must have been 29 years old or younger when the business began generating revenue;

• The business must be 1-5 years old and have been generating revenue for at least the past 12 months;

• The award is open to businesses organized as “for profit” or “nonprofit,” but must depend primarily on an earned-income revenue model.

Thanks so much for joining in the search for the Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs.