Access to Thrive hosts business plan event
Jessamyn Dodd
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Access To Thrive, an Imperial County non-profit, held a “Shark Tank” style business plan presentation contest Thursday.
Access to Thrive helps individuals living with a disability connect to resources such as health care access. Their S.T.E.P. program helps with business start-ups and job training.
The event was held in cooperation with San Diego’s Village Core.
“It’s a unique experience as we are in collaboration with Village Core from San Diego,” Access To Thrive’s CEO Ashley Contreras said.
Malik Glasgow, Access To Thrive’s program director, explained the contest.
“Today, what we have is we have both participants from our STEP program and from the village core program who are going to be presenting these ideas, who are going to be presenting their business plans to several business owners that we have accumulated who we have judging their pitches,” he told KYMA.
The attendees were split into four rooms, where their projects were evaluated. A panel of judges handed out prizes to the top contenders.
“We have a business startup package. We will be offering business cards, website design, domain design,” Glasgow said about the prizes being awarded.
“Also, Village Core has a community where they have other participants in many different fields in industry where they’re able to come together and talk to each other with different advantages and different ways, they’re using artificial intelligence to help with their business plan,” he added.