houston community college business plan competition

Five Houston-Area Competitions for Startups

Published Jan 26, 2022 by Brina Morales

Startup competitions can help build momentum and raise awareness as well as capital for emerging companies. 2021 was a banner year for early-stage venture capital funding across the U.S., with over $80 billion raised, according to financial database Pitchbook. 

Here are five startup competitions happening soon:

1.    Houston Community College Business Plan Competition – Deadline to apply: Jan. 28

The competition is for proposed, startup and existing entrepreneurs to develop focused plans to launch or grow their businesses. The program begins in February, and involves six virtual training sessions. It concludes with an awards ceremony in June. Last year the HCC competition awarded $26,000 in seed money to the top five teams in addition to in-kind prizes and support services. Click here to apply.

2.    Rice Business Plan Competition – Deadline to apply: Jan. 31

This  is the largest and richest intercollegiate startup competition in the world. Last year 54 teams from around the world competed for more than $1.6 million in cash and prizes. The competition will be hosted in-person at Rice University on April 7-9. Click here for eligibility and how to apply.

3.    Texas A&M New Ventures Competition – Deadline to apply: Feb. 27

This competition recognizes Texas-based companies with high-growth potential and provides seed funding to help startups execute their ideas and advance product development. Last year’s prize pool was nearly $500,000 and TNVC will announce the 2022 prize pool soon. Houston represents 41% of the competitor teams. The competition is May 18-19. Click here for competition rules.

4.    Black Girl Ventures' Change Agent Fellowship – Deadline to apply: Feb. 15

The fellowship is a nine-month leadership skills development program created to help early-stage Black and Brown female entrepreneurs grow. It includes a $10,000 stipend and the opportunity to select eight to 10 Black and Brown women founders to receive capital through the BGV Pitch Competition. Click here for more information. 

5.    First Annual MarMo Pitch Competition – Deadline to apply: Jan. 31

The competition is for life sciences and biotech-based pitches. Five teams will be chosen to pitch original ideas to a panel of business experts and an audience of entrepreneurs, small business owners and potential investors. The prize pool is $20,000 in cash prizes. Click here for rules and eligibility.

Houston’s startup ecosystem is thriving. There are more than 50 incubator and accelerator programs and startup development organizations in the region. In 2021, Houston startups raised more than $2 billion in funding, a record high for the area and a 610% increase compared with 2016, according to Pitchbook.  

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Houston Community College - HCC Business Plan Competition

Competition showcase.

Our 2024 Competition Launch Party on Zoom on January 11, showcased an amazing community of support for entrepreneurs and ended with our How to Apply Orientation for those interested in applying for the 2024 competition.  

•   5:00 pm to 6:00  pm - Showcase - Join Competition Leaders, Sponsors, Trainers, and Past Competition Winners & Graduates to hear more about the community of support that is offered in our competition. 
• 6:00pm to 7:00pm - Orientation - for Prospective 2024 Applicants - Learn More about the competition and about applying for the 2024 Competition.

  To see the slide deck from our showcase -   Click Here

Check back soon for a video of the showcase

HCC & Newspring Announce Winners of Business Plan Competition

Houston Community College (HCC) and Spring Branch nonprofit organization Newspring held its annual Business Plan Competition Awards Ceremony on May 2 at the Trini Mendenhall Community Center. With 135 local business owners, community leaders, judges, advisors, trainers and volunteers in attendance, the event was a culmination of 3 months of challenging business training for the participants.

From the 90 applicants and 33 teams chosen to compete, 24 teams completed the rigorous competition. The top five were selected to win approximately $35,000 in seed money and in-kind prizes to help fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams.

The winners of the 2017 HCC-Newspring Business Plan Competition are:     Stem Cell Security, 1st place, $12,000     SpenDebt, 2nd place, $8,000     Wanderlust Houston, 3rd place, $4,000     Accelerated Quality Solutions, Honorable Mention, $1,000     Summer Creek Dance Studio, Honorable Mention, $1,000

“Stem Cell Security really got off the ground because of our experience at HCC,” said Doris Taylor of the 1stplace team. “Not only did we gain invaluable insight from industry leaders and amazing advisers, we won funds that enable us to begin our journey. These funds will be used to create our early pitch media, will help us get our legal footing and will empower us to move into our first office space.  SCS exists because HCC-Newspring kickstarted us.”

The business training provided from February through April is a critical part of the competition. “Having assigned advisors (an executive from BBVA Bank and local CPA business owner) whom were 100% dedicated asking tough questions, challenging the financial pro forma, and critiquing the business plan made this one of the best competitions,” said Kiley Summers who won 2nd place. “Our biggest takeaway from the BPC was developing 3 year financial pro forma and solidifying our business model to include an investment analysis.”

The business plan competition organizers include nonprofit Newspring president Robert Westheimer, HCC Northwest College President Zach Hodges, business consultant and lead trainer Jack Barry and Sandra Louvier, director of HCC’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

Area businesses like LiftFund and Wallis State Bank made the event possible as major sponsors.

“Everyone has a dream to be an entrepreneur and the business plan competition provides the platform for the individuals to make their dream come true,” said Nasr Khan, executive vice president, Wallis State Bank and sponsor. Wallis State Bank is a top SBA Lender in the Houston District and we are committed in supporting the emerging business community.”

The Memorial Management District is proud to have HCC’s Spring Branch Campus in the district.

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2023 HCC Business Plan Competition Awards Ceremony

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Voiland College names 2024 outstanding students

Washington State University Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture recognized outstanding students at its annual convocation ceremony on April 11. The event was sponsored by the Boeing Company. Honored award winners included:

• Outstanding Sophomore: Rylee Gannon A chemical engineering major with a 3.8 GPA, Rylee Gannon is a research assistant for Professor Steve Saunders, where she synthesizes and characterizes nanomaterials for use as catalysts in oxidation reactions Gannon also works in the Frank Innovation Zone and is an active member of the Society of Women Engineers.
• Outstanding Junior: Ethan Villalovoz Ethan Villalovoz is a computer science student with a GPA of 3.99, specializing in data mining, machine learning, and data science. Some of his more notable achievements include being a CS Research Mentorship Program Scholar, a Generation Google Scholarship Recipient, and a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar. He has also engaged in extensive extracurricular activities, including internships at Google and a research position at Carnegie Mellon University.
• Outstanding Senior: Katy Ayers A Fulbright Fellowship Award and Marshall Scholarship Semifinalist, Katy Ayers is the first WSU student to win the Udall Scholar in Environment award. Her thirst for knowledge has given her robust research experience around the country and the world. One of Ayers’ nominators said, “Although I have worked with many outstanding students in my 20 years of teaching at the undergraduate level, I don’t think I have met anyone with Katy’s experiences, accomplishments and passion. She is motivated, demonstrates curiosity and critical thinking and communicates incredibly well.”
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant for grading/office hours: Kutay Sesli Kutay Sesli’s nominators were impressed by his innovative approaches and genuine care for students this past year. Kutay recognized that that conventional ways to grade assignments might not provide a full picture of where students need improvement, so he took the initiative to develop an innovative, consistent, fair, and detailed grading system that helped students develop trust in the grading process and a better understanding of how to improve their performance throughout the semester. He approaches each task with the mindset of a true engineer, and the results left no doubt that his grading was done with meticulous attention to detail and with the best outcomes for students in mind. Among the feedback students have given include: “Kutay is the best TA all semester, excellent job!” and “Kutay is dope!”
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant — Teaching/Instruction: Chris Pereyda Chris Pereyda has served as teaching assistant in several courses, including Introduction to Computer Programming. In one of his courses there were more than 500 students. One of those students said of Chris: “He is one of the best TAs I have ever had the pleasure of learning from. Being a Computer Science student can be difficult, but his explanations and knowledge of the source material helped me grasp some of the concepts better and persevere.” One of his faculty members said, “Chris was one of my most reliable, impactful, and effective TAs during my twenty years of teaching at WSU. Chris is the ideal example of a lead teaching assistant. He is knowledgeable in the area, patient with TAs and students, flexible and adaptive to different TAs’ and students’ styles and paces. There is not a better example of a TA than Chris.
• Outstanding Research Assistant: Ali Mahmoodigahrouei As a PhD candidate at WSU, Ali Mahmoodigahrouei has shown an exceptional academic record and research skills. Since joining WSU in 2022, he has published 14 impactful papers with over 300 citations, earning several prestigious awards, including the David C. Goss Scholarship and the “UTC Outstanding Student of the Year Award.” His nominators feel he consistently goes above and beyond expectations, managing multiple projects simultaneously and with great success. He also excels as a mentor, effectively supervising undergraduate students while providing valuable assistance to other PhD students in his research group.
• Outstanding Dissertation: Lin Shao Lin Shao’s nominators say that he is a truly exceptional graduate student and has done excellent research on chemical recycling of plastic waste by aminolysis and utilization of the recycled compounds for preparation of new polymer materials. His thesis research has received a broad interest from researchers around the world. Shao, as one of guest speakers, was invited to give a seminar at the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chemistry World. His research was also featured by “The Voice of America.”

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About the Program

The Business program provides distinctive learning that actively engages students, faculty, and the business community in developing knowledge and skills relevant for success in a complex global economy. The majority of Americans make their living in business, regardless of their academic major. The job market is opening up for individuals with an associate degree in business. The program offers an AA and AAS degrees with certificates in several specializations.

AWARD TYPES: Associate in Arts

AREA OF STUDY: Business

Degrees and Certificates

Learn more about the Degrees and Certificates offered by this program by visiting the HCC Catalog.

Program Information Academics

General Requirements

To be eligible for an Associate in Arts (AA), an Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT), or an Associate in Science (AS) degree from HCC, a student must successfully:

Complete at least 60 semester hours of credit as follows: (a) for the AA degree, 43 hours of required core courses and 17 hours of transferable electives, usually focusing on the student's transfer major (b) for the AAT degree, 44 hours of required core courses plus 16-18 hours of required pre-teaching courses (c) for the AS degree, 43 hours of required core courses plus six additional hours of mathematics, four additional hours of natural science, and 7 hours of transferable electives, usually focusing on the student's transfer major

Additional Degree Requirements

A student who has received an associate degree or higher from an accredited institution must meet specific requirements to earn an additional degree from HCC.

• The student must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours at HCC for each additional degree. These hours may not repeat credit applied from a previous HCC degree. These hours may not be satisfied through credit by exam.
• All additional hours must be applicable toward the additional degree. If the student has prior credit in required courses, appropriate substitutions may be arranged.
• All courses required by the specific HCC program of the additional degree must be completed.
• A grade point average of at least 2.0 must be earned on all hours since the previous degree.
• Academic courses from previous degrees may be applied to an additional AAS degree required academic core where equivalent and appropriate, which waives the need for approval, except where program restrictions prevail.
• If the first degree was an Associate in Arts, an Associate of Arts in Teaching, Associate in Science, a bachelor degree, or higher degree from an accredited educational institution in the United States, the student will be considered to be “Core Complete”, thus needing to complete only the requirement of 18 additional semester hours at HCC toward a new associate degree.
• Each additional academic associate degree obtained from HCC must be of a different type. Thus, a student may only obtain one Associate in Arts, one Associate of Arts in Teaching, and/or one Associate in Science from HCC. For example, if one degree from HCC was an AA, then any additional degrees must be an AAT, AS, or AAS.
• Multiple Associate of Applied Science degrees may be earned from HCC if all AAS program requirements are met including earning at least 18 additional semester hours at HCC, 12 of which must be earned in the major program of the additional degree. In most cases, however, there is only one AAS degree allowable per workforce program. See counselor or program chair for clarification.
• Multiple workforce Certificates of Completion may be earned from HCC if all program requirements are met for each certificate including earning at least 9 additional unique semester hours at HCC toward the major program of the additional certificate.
• All other state and institutional graduation requirements, including TSI policies and financial obligations, must be met.

Online Program Restrictions

Some online programs may require up to 15% of their curriculum be taken in-person on one of HCC’s campuses.  Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Language Option Restrictions

Some online programs require students to participate in foreign language courses as part of the program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements and available language options. If you would like to take courses in a language that is not offered online, you would have to do so on campus.

Elective Course Restrictions

Some online programs may have a limited number of elective options available, based on which of the designated electives are currently offered online.  Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.

Required Course Restrictions

Some online programs may require students to participate in one or more campus-based courses as part of a given program’s required curriculum. Please contact your advisor for more information about specific program requirements.  

Potential Course Restrictions

Some online courses may have face-to-face requirements for exams, laboratory sessions, and other activities. Please review your course syllabus to determine if your online course has an on-campus laboratory or examination requirement.

Field of Study Curriculum

Business Administration & Management Field of Study (FOS) Curriculum

Field of Study Coursework :

• MATH 1324        Mathematics for Business & Social Sciences
• ECON 2301        Principles of Macroeconomics
• ECON 2302        Principles of Microeconomics
• BUSI 2305        Business Statistics
• ACCT 2301        Principles of Financial Accounting
• ACCT 2302        Principles of Managerial Accounting
• BUSI 1301        Business Principles
• BCIS 1305        Business Computer Applications

Fully Transferable: 

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has designated the Field of Study Curriculum courses as “fully transferable” to other public colleges and universities in Texas. Students planning on transferring to either private or out-of-state institutions should direct transfer questions to that college or university.  

For more information, refer to the  HCC Catalog ( https://www.hccs.edu/programs/catalog/ ) and Field of Study Curricula Approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board  www.thecb.state.tx.us/institutional-resources-programs/public-universities-health-related-institutions/transfer-resources/field-of-study-curricula/

Marketable Skills

Learn more about the marketable skills—skills valued by employers that can be applied in variety of work settings—so you can communicate these to potential employers. Click on the relevant award title below to see descriptions of marketable skills for that area.

Business Management - Entrepreneurship, C1

Business Management - General Business, A.A.S.

Business Management - General Business, C1

Business Management - Human Resource Management Specialization, A.A.S.

Business Management - Human Resource Management Specialization, C1

Business Management - Insurance Specialist/Associate, C1

Business - Field of Study, A.A.

Career Opportunities

Explore real-time labor market data on occupations you may pursue post-graduation, offering insight into career opportunities, potential earnings, and job demand in the Greater Houston region.

For more in-depth information about this career and other career pathways, visit Career Coach .

Texas Affordable Baccalaureate Program

Start  by earning an  Associate of Applied Science in Business Management from Houston Community College.

HCC offers an online accelerated program through the Texas Affordable Baccalaureate (TAB) Program. This program is designed for professionals with career experience in public administration, non-profit, or related fields.

Finish  with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Applied Administration with a concentration in Applied Public Administration and Leadership from the  University of Houston-Downtown.

Program Information Workforce

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) allows students to earn only one AAS in Business Management. Students may choose from one of the following two specializations: General or Human Resource Management.

In addition, please note that a student may only earn one Occupational Skills Award (OSA) per academic year.

TSI testing required prior to first enrollment for all AAS degrees and Level II certificates

There are 20,433 Business Continuity Planners employed in the Greater Houston Area. This number is expected to increase by 8.7% over the next four years.

The estimated annual job openings is 838 jobs a year. Median Wages - $39.14 hourly, $81,000 annually

Accreditation

The Business Administration Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). ACBSP is a leading specialized business accreditation association committed to advancing excellence in business education worldwide. Our member institutions share the common belief that an excellent business education is defined by professors who are committed to teaching, students who come from a diversity of backgrounds, and courses that provide relevant skills for real-world opportunities.

Student Performance Data

Program Outcomes

Identify essential management skills necessary for career success.

Describe the relationships of social responsibility, ethics, and law in business.

Construct a business plan.

Examine the role of strategic human resource planning in support of organizational mission and objectives.

Become the Next CEO

CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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The ACEOi program is a student-centered approach that emphasizes a project-based collaborative learning model. This innovative program replicates the functions and demands of a real business and utilizes the guidance of a teacher-facilitator who acts as a business partner and transforms students into business professionals by bringing the workplace into the classroom.

Earn 3.0 credit hours

An office instead of classroom Gain one year of daily work experience Develop in-demand competencies Develop leadership skills No homework No quizzes

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