Sept - Oct 2020 | Insights to Opportunity
www.houstontx.gov/obo | Page 5
BUSINESS PROFILE
Liftoff Houston propels business startup to success By: Pearl K. Cajoles
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hen Megan Eddings joined the Liftoff Houston! Startup Business Plan Competition in 2017, she came with big dreams and very little experience as an entrepreneur. “I had never written a business plan before, and I didn’t even know where to begin,” Eddings said. “But, after all the classes and workshops offered by the program, I advanced to the final round and won $10,000.” With a solid business plan and an impressive pitch, judges chose Eddings as the first place winner in the competition’s product category. Her company, Accel Lifestyle, offers odor- and bacteria-resistant fitness apparel made from fabric she invented using her background as a chemist. Three years after her win, Accel Lifestyle is still in an upward trajectory. Already with a succesful online shop pre-COVID at accellifestyle.com, Eddings expanded her product line in March to include bacteria-resistant face masks. After creating her first prototype, she has since sold tens of thousands of face masks to area hospitals and other corporate clients. The masks are also available for purchase on her website. On Saturday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. - 1p.m., nine budding entrepreneurs with big
DIRECTOR: OBO programs, initiatives in full swing Continued from page 1 businesses, adversely affected by the pandemic, with grants up to $50,000. The number of businesses the City is able to assist is continuing to grow. In collaboration with various partners, OBO recently hosted our first virtual Turnaround Houston Readiness Fair which afforded over 800 job seekers the opportunity to access more than 1,000 available positions. In addition, OBO has launched sev-
SUCCESS STORY: 2017 Liftoff Houston winner Megan Eddings has expanded her business to include bacteria-resistant face masks. dreams like Eddings will present their business plans during Liftoff Houston’s Pitch Day, which will be held virtually for the first time. Finalists will compete in the three category areas of product, service, and innovation, with one winner in each category winning $10,000 toward making their dreams of business ownership become a reality. Sponsored by Capital One Bank and administered by the Houston Public Library (HPL) and the Office of Business Opportunity (OBO), Liftoff Houston has awarded more than $210,000 in start-up
eral business development programs including the Liftoff Houston! Startup Business Plan Competition, Turner School of Construction Management, and we are currently accepting applications for Build Up Houston, our signature capacity building program slated to start in February 2021. Small businesses continue to be a huge part of the advances being made in Houston. In this issue, we are highlighting Mbroh Engineering Inc., an MBE company, that has been intentional in making sure they partner with other certified firms in delivering their work on the $1.7 billion Northeast Water Purification Plant (NEWPP) project,
capital to aspiring small business owners in Houston. “I invite everyone to join us on Pitch Day,” said OBO Director Marsha E. Murray. “Each year, I am always inspired by the unique stories and entrepreneurial spirit of our contestants.”
To join Pitch Day, go to www. eventbrite.com/e/2020-liftoff-houston-pitch-day-tickets-124337485767?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch. Pitch Day will also be streamed live at facebook.com/liftoffhouston. which will reduce our dependence on groundwater in delivering fresh drinking water to Houstonians. Lastly, as usual, I encourage you to stay healthy and safe, and to continue to prioritize the health and safety of your employees and customers.
Marsha E. Murray was appointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner and confirmed by City Council to serve as the Director of the City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity (OBO) in April 2020, after having served as OBO’s Interim Director.
