Overview of the Arch Grants Business Plan Competition
2012 marked the inaugural year of our business plan competition. It went pretty well — we awarded $750,000 cash to 15 startups plus pro bono support bringing the total to $1,000,000 awarded to startups in St. Louis!
It went so well that we’re doing it again next year (and the year after and maybe the year after that), planning to award 30 grants in 2013.
Our aim is to make the process as simple and painless as possible. Below you’ll find key details about the competition. Check out our FAQs for answers to your additional questions.
What Do You Get?
◦ $50,000 in grant funding (meaning no equity is exchanged for the funding) disbursed quarterly, over the course of a year
◦ Free legal, accounting, marketing, and cloud computing support
◦ Discounted residential and commercial rent
◦ Pro bono business mentoring
◦ Access to St. Louis’ angel investment network
◦ The opportunity to be a vibrant part of the downtown St. Louis startup community
◦ Recognition as a spokesperson for the entrepreneurial space
◦ A chance for a $100,000 follow-on grant from Arch Grants
Who Should Apply?
Do you have an innovative startup that could office in downtown St. Louis? Great, then you should apply!
Still debating? A few more details might help you decide. Arch Grants is looking for disruptive ideas – doing something that hasn’t been done before or doing something in a radically new way. We seek to attract entrepreneurs who are already located in St. Louis OR are willing to relocate here. Basing your business in downtown St. Louis is a prerequisite for receiving the grant. Finally, we look for scalable businesses. We want to hear how you’re planning to expand your business to capture national or international sales while remaining headquartered in St. Louis.
How Do You Apply?
First, get ready to be patient. This page will include details on the application process closer to November when we begin accepting applications for the next round. In our next cycle, we’ll apply the best practices from our inaugural year while incorporating some new elements. This ensures our application process allows us to determine if your startup is a good fit for Arch Grants at the same time that our process remains relevant in the world of startups.