A Contest for Green Businesses!

In a move aimed at spurring New York’s emerging green economy and proving just how profitable going green can be, doors opened today on the first Green Business Competition. The contest invites New York’s green start-ups who are shaking up their industries to compete for packages worth over $30,000 in investment capital, green office space and other business support. The competition kicks off today and closes March 22, 2009.

Presented by Green Spaces, a socially conscious company that works to grow today’s burgeoning green economy by providing work space, administrative services and networking opportunities for green entrepreneurs in New York City, the Green Business Competition will look for innovative start-ups that not only accelerate positive social change and protect the environment – but also prove they can effectively make money in the process. In order to attract a wide variety of green businesses across all sectors, the Green Business Competition’s criteria are broad; entrants need only to be for-profit, in New York State and have revenue numbers less than $10 million.

First place winners will receive a package worth $24,000, including $8,000 in investment capital, one rent-free year in at a Green Spaces valued at $6,000, and a package of marketing, legal and financial services valued at $10,000. Second place business winners will receive $1000 and a similar prize package which has a total value of $4,000, and third place is a package worth $675.

Con Edison will serve as Prize Sponsor and The Nature Conservancy will serve as the Non-Profit Sponsor of the competition. Other sponsors include SquareSpace, EcoFusion, The Park Avenue Bank, Core Industries, Impact International, Citrin Cooperman & Company LLP, Plenty Magazine, Grist.org, NYU Stern School of Business, Treehugger, Tishman Speyer, Mintz Levin, Greenopia, Net Impact, Kinetix, Marc Alt + Partners, Method, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, The Sustainable Business Network of New York City, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and Group SJR. The Green Business Competition will host a launch party on February 9, 2009 at 92Y Tribeca in New York City and an awards ceremony on April 30 to announce the business winners.

Green Spaces brings together leading green entrepreneurs by offering affordable work space, shared resources and a community to launch their businesses.