Small business online lender OnDeck (NYSE: ONDK) and entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran announced on Wednesday the winners of the 2016 OnDeck Seal of Approval Contest. It was revealed that the winners were chosen from over 1,000 submissions. Each will receive a $10,000 cash prize from OnDeck and a one-on-one coaching session with Barbara Corcoran designed to propel their businesses to the next level.
To enter the contest, business owners had to explain how they would use the $10,000 prize and guidance from Barbara Corcoran to grow their businesses. Winners were selected by a panel of judges, including Barbara Corcoran, OnDeck CEO Noah Breslow and David Bobbitt, President of The SCORE Foundation.
The winners of the 2016 OnDeck Seal of Approval Contest are three innovative small businesses from diverse backgrounds:
- B’more Organic: An organic smoothie company founded by Jennifer and Andrew Buerger, promotes healthy living with a socially conscious mission.
- Beau & Belle Littles: The maker of reusable swim diapers, started out in 2015 in Loveland, Colorado.
- Hardball Cider: Offers three varieties of cider can now be found in the area’s local restaurants and, appropriately, in many of Pennsylvania’s major and minor league baseball stadiums.
Corcoran then added:
“Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and these three winners exemplify the spirit of Main Street America. I’m thrilled to personally work with each of these entrepreneurs to not only help solve their business challenges, but to also create sustainable business strategies that will elevate their brands to the next level.”
Last year’s Contest winners were The Gents Place (Dallas, TX), The Sugar Path (Geneva, IL) and BodyworksBall (Brick, NJ), have all made major strides over the past year thanks in part to Ms. Corcoran’s coaching and the $10,000 prize from OnDeck. BJ Dowlen, the Founder and President of BodyworksBall, stated the Seal of Approval Contest helped propel a momentous year for her business.