Overview

In keeping with our mission of living out the gospel in ways that change the city, the Entrepreneurship Initiative desires to launch gospel-centered organizations that serve and improve the city and contribute to the social well-being of our culture.  These ventures may be not-for-profit, for-profit, or arts organizations. The Entrepreneurship Initiative capitalizes on Redeemer’s unique position as a center-city church, strong theological and missional mindset, and the extraordinary talents of a congregation working in some of the most demanding and influential institutions in the country.

The Entrepreneurs Initiative delighted to sponsor its Business Plan Competition to encourage individuals in the congregation to bring forward their ideas for gospel-based ventures. Ventures may be based upon sustainable business models that are revenue supported, volunteer supported, government or donation supported, or any combination of the above.

By holding this competition we hope to:

1. Encourage the development of gospel-centered businesses, social/public services and art ventures. We want to multiply the number of institutions, companies, and organizations that embody kingdom-minded values.

2. Deepen Christian theology of entrepreneurship. This competition will deepen our collective understanding on questions such as: How do we develop ventures that embody the gospel? How should we define and evaluate success in a venture? How do we define and measure “Kingdom impact” or “social impact”?

3. Develop a multi-generational network of like-minded entrepreneurs. This competition will help those who have an idea or great passion find a network to develop their vision. It will also help seasoned business people find new opportunities and partners. This competition and conference will facilitate a multi-generational network of relationships that will help sustain the Christian entrepreneurship movement.

Partnership with Hope For New York

The Entrepreneurship Initiative will partner with Hope for New York (with sixteen years of experience reviewing operating plans and assessing social impact) in administering the business plan competition. There will be separate judging panels and criteria for each of the different types of plans.

*Based loosely on Urbana ’06 “Open for Business,” Business Plan Competition and Harvard Business School’s Business Plan Contest