All Brooklyn Public Library locations will be closed for Memorial Day Weekend from Saturday, May 25th through Monday, May 27th.
Good news! Coney Island and Gerritsen Beach libraries will reopen this fall after extensive renovations due to Hurricane Sandy. See our Hurricane Sandy Renovations page for updates.
CALLING ALL ENTREPRENEURS – JOIN THE 2013 PowerUP! BUSINESS PLAN
Turn your business idea into a reality with help from the Library and you may win $15,000 in start up capital. Entrepreneurs throughout Brooklyn are eligible to participate in Brooklyn Public Library's PowerUP! Business Plan Competition. All contestants have access to free resources and services to help them write a business plan. View our slideshow to see how the PowerUP! competition rewards the ingenuity and determination of ALL participants. Everyone is a Winner!
Participants attend classes at the Library on creating business plans, marketing, financial projections, and doing research with Library resources. They are also connected to business counselors in the community.
Citi Foundation, as the sole sponsor of PowerUP!, is committed to making Brooklyn a great place to live and work by supporting local entrepreneurship through the business plan competition.
1st Place - $15,000
Masala Mama
Nidhi Jalan
2nd Place - $5000
Maracuya Productions
Madeleine Bair and Betty Bastidas
Tinsel & Twine
Erica Taylor, Liz Castelli, Adette Contreras
Merit Award - $750
Farming Up
Alec Baxt
Olam Wedding Canopies
Michelle Friedman
Tutor Tango
Scott Wilson
Honorable Mention - $500
ABC - A Bookkeeping Cooperative
Sarah Snider and Stephen
Redbeard Bikes
Ilya Nikhamin and Kasia Nikhamina
Vero Vixen LLC.
Veronica Barrow
Over the past eight years the competition has fostered the development of a host of new businesses. You may view the list of past winners and read more about them. Join the competition, and you may be on the list next year!
If you live in Brooklyn and want to start a business in Brooklyn, you are eligible. "Power UP!" is a competition to help applicants start a business. Additional details, including the competition rules and the application process will be supplied at each orientation session.
First Place - $15,000
Two Second Place prizes - $5,000
Three Merit Awards - $750
Honorable Mention - $500
All applicants must attend one orientation. Details about applying will be supplied at the orientations. To register for one of the following 2013 orientations click here and select a date in our events listing or call 718-623-7000 option 3.
Business & Career Library, 280 Cadman Plaza West
Tuesday, February 26 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Thursday, February 28 9:00 - 10:30 AM
Wednesday, March 6 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 23 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Saturday, March 23 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Wednesday, March 13 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Thursday, March 28 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Thursday, April 4 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Citi Foundation is the Lead Sponsor of the PowerUP! Business Plan Competition
