MCC Students Receive $50k in Funding to Help Launch Businesses

Middlesex Community College students enrolled in the Launch Your Business Now program – an innovative applied-entrepreneurship certificate program designed for students to start or grow a business – just wrapped up an intensive semester.

The students had the opportunity to pitch for seed funding to the Everyday Entrepreneurs Venture Fund (EEVF). The EEVF committee gave out $50,000 in seed funding on December 19, 2019 at an awards ceremony in downtown Lowell.

Students’ businesses invested in include:

• $15,000 invested in HER Massage Therapy – massage therapy clinic in Lawrence, MA (www.hermassagetherapy.com/; Instagram: @hermassagetherapy)
• $15,000 invested in What the Fork Catering – catering and future café in Billerica, MA (Facebook: What The Fork Catering; Instagram: @what_the_fork_catering)
• $10,000 invested in Allure Mobile Styles – future mobile hair salon for Greater Lowell (www.declareyourstyle.com/)
• $10,000 match invested in EkoBon – a future sustainable packaging manufacturer (www.ekobon.com; Instagram: @eko_bon)

Students will use this seed funding for operations as they continue to grow their businesses over the course of 2020.

MCC’s 16-credit Launch Your Business Now certificate program was developed for entrepreneurs who have an idea for a business they want to launch – or scale up – within four to 12 months.

“Someone who is naturally entrepreneurial just wants to get started,” said Stacie Hargis, MCC’s Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator. “This is why we’ve designed the program to be completed in one intensive, action-oriented semester to support students developing a business concept with a solid foundation for success.”

“I’ve been able to gain confidence as the course progressed. I am now equipped with the proper knowledge moving forward in my journey. I will continue to utilize my tool box with content I was able to learn from the curriculum,” said Jocelyn Pedraza, a Spring 2019 participant of the Launch Your Business Now program.

Students who complete the Launch Your Business Now coursework are encouraged to pitch their business idea to the funding committee of the EEVF – who can award seed money in the form of competitive grants – ranging $1,000 to $20,000 – to support student businesses and help start-ups get off the ground. EEVF is a committee of the Middlesex Community College Foundation.

For more information about MCC student businesses, MCC’s new Launch Your Business Now Certificate program, or the Everyday Entrepreneurs Venture Fund, visit www.launchatmcc.com or contact Stacie Hargis at hargiss@middlesex.mass.edu.

To register for MCC spring-semester courses, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!