Nav Awards its First $10,000 Small Business Grant - The Next Grant Contest is Scheduled for June 15, 2018
Colorado-based company, Founding Foods, received $10,000 to help scale a business that's controlling an invasive species
SALT LAKE CITY, June 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nav.com, a free site and app for small business owners to access their business credit scores and get matched to financing options, announced the winner of its inaugural "Legitify Your Small Business Grant." The contest, launched in February, awarded $10,000 in cash to founder and CEO of Founding Foods, Rachel Irons.
The response to the grant contest was inspiring. In total, Nav received an incredible 347 submissions. To be considered, one of the main requirements was writing a brief story about a business challenge the business owner was facing or had overcome.
"We were blown away by the perseverance shown by the applicants' stories and it underscored the tenacity required to follow your business dream," said Lydia Roth, Nav's marketing manager who spearheaded the project. "Access to financing, like business loans and business credit cards was a common pain point."
Irons' submission about Founding Foods stood out to the Nav selection committee for a number of reasons — but in particular how her business had a unique challenge and clear plan for how the extra capital could help. Like most small business owners, access to capital was the single-biggest issue Founding Foods dealt with. You can read the full interview about her business here.
"We've been stuck trying to find the money to help us scale the business and sell our wild boar jerky in stores," said Irons. "We needed to partner with a co-packer to use a USDA-certified kitchen, but they require significantly more meat. This grant money will help us buy enough to crank out more product and turn this into a national brand."
Founding Foods' story is unique because not only is Irons expanding her business, she's tackling an environmental problem, too. The company makes its jerky out of wild boar, an invasive species that damages agriculture and can transmit disease. And here's the kicker: Irons has actually been a vegetarian for ten years but she tested the product to feel confident in its quality.
Inspired and encouraged by the success of their first grant content, Nav's second "Legitify Your Small Business Grant" is schedule to launch on June 15, 2018. It will feature both a $10,000 grand prize and smaller prizes for runners-up. More information and details about this grant and contest can be read at https://www.nav.com/business-grant-contest/.
About Nav
Over 400,000 small business owners use Nav to get more funding, lower their costs and save time so they can create the business of their dreams. It gives free access to business credit scores, cash-flow analysis, and tools to help build business credit. Nav's online marketplace offers more than 100 financing products, including loans and credit cards, and uses a lender-neutral algorithm to help business owners find the best financing options for their needs before they apply. The company has offices in Silicon Valley and Salt Lake City. For more information visit: nav.com.
Contact:
Jared Proctor
[email protected]
603-209-2409
Twitter: @NavSMB
Facebook: facebook.com/navsmb
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/navsmb/
SOURCE Nav.com
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