Incfile is excited to announce the grant winners for the first round of our inaugural Entrepreneur Grant and Scholarship Program! Starting a business is hard work, especially so when it comes to finding funding for a new idea. That's why we've established a grant program for budding entrepreneurs and small business owners to help realize their dream.
Are you another young entrepreneur striving to achieve your vision? Incfile is all about empowering people in their entrepreneurship journey — and if you missed the first round don't worry, as you could be the next recipient of one of our grants!
Your ideas and determination could earn you one of two grants to help you achieve your business goals through financial assistance and guidance. Whether you’re a student with an entrepreneurial spirit or an aspiring adult business owner looking to expand, be inspired by the previous winners and learn how to apply to the next round.
Meet the Incfile Grant Winners
The grant winners for our last round stood out for their fierce determination and unique entrepreneurial vision. Read on to see what inspired us about their applications.
Brandon, IMENO Finance & Investing
Brandon is a determined high school senior who is passionate about bolstering financial literacy and money management skills. He highlighted economic instability and a vicious cycle of living paycheck to paycheck as his prime motivations for raising awareness about financial education.
Brandon has used his knowledge from various publications and courses together with his entrepreneurial spirit to provide a platform for furthering financial education and knowledge. While minors can't technically start a business, they can begin with the help of their family or adult relatives. Brandon founded Imeno Finance and Investing, which has garnered 1.3 million views and over 3,000 subscribers within a year on YouTube. He produces videos on several topics such as budgeting, consumer debt, retirement accounts and investing. Brandon identifies consistency as being one of the main skills that he’s learned while launching and growing his business and social media channels.
He hopes to reduce what he calls the “poverty of knowledge” by increasing financial literacy through educational videos and social media. At the same time, he’s continuing to educate himself through activities and courses about corporate finance, cash flow and targeting audiences, so that he can continue to grow his business into the future.
Arielle Page, Arie’s Confectionaries
Arielle worked in various bakeries and hotels around Atlanta as a pastry chef before COVID-19 hit her business hard. She chose this career because it allowed her to express her creativity through food, which has always been a real passion of hers. Without letting the pandemic put a dent in her dreams, she realized that she could tap into a demand for desserts in her city and started developing her own recipes, and opened Arie's Confectionaries.
Along her business journey so far, Arielle learned that a successful business is about smart marketing and tapping into trends and customer demands. She is putting a major effort into researching and learning as much as she can from other successful business owners as she plans to expand in the future.
Arielle’s business plan involves aiming for a brick-and-mortar business within the next few months. She has a vision of customers coming into her shop and being able to choose their own cheesecake flavors. She is aiming to retain her focus on artisan, handmade desserts and plans to locally source as many of her ingredients as possible.
Apply Soon to Incfile's Next Grant
We are gathering submissions for the next round of our grant! We have two grants available for budding entrepreneurs: one for students and one for aspiring adult entrepreneurs.
Young Entrepreneur Scholarship Grant
This is the grant for students with big ideas. The Young Entrepreneur Grant is for students who want to turn their business ideas into reality. The grant means one determined individual will receive $2,500 towards continuing their education.
Requirements:
- Must be a high school senior, undergraduate, graduate or trade school student
- Must attend a U.S.-based high school, trade school or university
- Must hold a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Must have an interest in starting a business
Fresh Start Business Grant
The grant is for aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to expand their business. The Fresh Start Business Grant is for adult entrepreneurs who are either starting over or beginning from scratch to make their dreams come true. The grant will give one ambitious individual $2,500 towards startup costs.
Requirements:
- Must be 21 years or older
- Must be a U.S. resident
- Must be planning to start a new business or grow and expand an existing business
How to Apply
The next deadline for the grants is June 30. All you need to do is:
- Complete the online application.
- Create a short 2-minute video telling us how entrepreneurship will impact your life.
- Submit a sample business plan.
Be Inspired, Don't Give Up, Apply Now
Don’t let finances or a lack of guidance get in your way to kick-starting your dream business. Our grants will help bring your ideas to life and provide the encouragement to listen to your inner entrepreneurial spirit.
Jenna Scatena
Jenna Scatena is a writer and content strategist with a love for stories that have never been told before. More than a decade of working with prominent magazines and brands informs her approach to impactful storytelling. Her stories have reached more than 30 million readers, won multiple awards and been anthologized in books. Jenna's work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Vogue, Marie Claire, The San Francisco, BBC and The Atlantic. She's the founder of the editorial consultancy, Lede Studio.
