NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's still time for local cultural entrepreneurs to vie for a $25,000 award and four months of help to get them started.
The North Adams Arts Enterprise Challenge is accepting applications through April 30, with four finalists to be announced May 9.
The winning concept will be chosen by a panel of business experts to receive funding and mentoring through Lever's resource network. A "Shark Tank" style pitch day for the four finalists will be held on Aug. 9 at Greylock Works and will be open to the public.
The goal of the challenge is to attract and develop new arts enterprises to join the Northern Berkshire cultural economy. The successful applicants will show that they can leverage existing cultural assets in the region and have the potential to attract investment.
The entrepreneurial competition is being run by Lever Inc., a startup incubator that has helped run similar challenges at local colleges.
"As Lever looks to strengthen the region's economy by attracting young businesses with great potential, we expect the challenge's focus on arts assets will give entrepreneurs a running start," said Jeffrey Thomas, Lever's founder and executive director.
Startups selected as finalists will meet three key criteria:
The business model must relate to the arts.
A wide range of arts-related businesses will be considered, including companies in the fine arts, performing
arts, arts-experiences, arts-related services such as sales and merchandising, suppliers of arts-related goods
and services, and other art-derived concepts.
The business model must have high-growth potential.
Business models should be able to attract investment capital, serve regional, national, and/or international
customers and create jobs in the region.
The business model must leverage Northern Berkshire arts assets.
Pre-existing assets include, but are not limited to, museums, galleries, manufacturers, printers, publishers, studios, workspaces, and theaters. A partial inventory of such assets can be found on Lever's website.
"Our region is resplendent with arts and cultural assets — but we believe those assets are underleveraged," said Brent Filson, Lever's director of programs and operations, and lead organizer of the challenge. "By highlighting the arts-related entrepreneurial opportunities here, the North Adams Arts Enterprise Challenge will attract entrepreneurs whose companies will create more jobs.”
North Adams Arts Enterprise Challenge details and application are available now on the Lever website here.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
BAAMS' Monthly Studio 9 Series Features Mino Cinelu
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On April 20, Berkshires' Academy of Advanced Musical Studies (BAAMS) will host its fourth in a series of live music concerts at Studio 9.
Saturday's performance will feature drummer, guitarist, keyboardist and singer Mino Cinelu.
Cinelu has worked with Miles Davis, Sting, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Vicente Amigo, Dizzy Gillespie, Pat Metheny, Branford Marsalis, Pino Daniele, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Salif Keita.
Cinelu will be joined by Richard Boulger on trumpet and flugelhorn, Dario Boente on piano and keyboards, and Tony Lewis on drums and percussion.
Doors open: 6:30pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
All proceeds will help support music education at BAAMS, which provides after-school and Saturday music study, as well as a summer jazz-band day camp for students ages 10-18, of all experience levels.
Also Saturday, the BAAMS faculty presents master-class workshops for all ages, featuring Cinelu, Boulger, Boente, Lewis and bassist Nathan Peck.
More than 300 students from area high schools entered their work in 12th annual Teen Invitational at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. click for more
Backed by a $750,000 federal grant for a planning study, North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are looking to undo some of that damage.
click for more
"It wasn't 100 percent consistent but I was afforded the opportunity to get to know other people with different religion, beliefs, backgrounds and culture and to be able to embrace that." click for more
With the area warming up, events are blooming in the Berkshires this weekend, including an egg hunt, live music, fitness events, and more.
click for more