Ford’s BlueOval City supporting would-be entrepreneurs
The Ford Motor Company Fund is set to fund a program to help West Tennessee entrepreneurs turn ideas into a potential business venture.
In an announcement last week, the company that is building BlueOval City in Stanton, a community in Haywood County, is partnering with two of Launch Tennessee‘s network partners – the CO (Jackson) and Epicenter Memphis – along with Heartland Forward’s Builders + Backers program.
According to this news release, the “Idea Accelerator Program” will fund 20 West Tennessee residents with $5,000 plus training and other resources as start-up material for new business ventures or related projects. Those eligible to apply by the December 12 deadline are residents of Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Lauderdale, Madison, Shelby, and Tipton Counties.
Applicants are not required to submit a business plan or have any type of pitch deck ready to go. Those with ideas that are deemed promising and innovative will be invited to participate in a two-month virtual program in January 2023.
“Ford is a committed partner to our new neighbors in West Tennessee and we are thrilled to be working with Heartland Forward to invest in the region,” said Mike Schmidt, Ford Motor Company Fund Economic Mobility Director. “We believe in building pathways with people who have historically had limited opportunities for business development and ownership through access to capital and training. Through these new partnerships we hope to help bring aspiring entrepreneurs’ dreams to life.”
