ShopKeep POS announced on May 12, 2012 that it would be creating an incubator program for small businesses that would bestow $15,000 in grant funds to small business owners in the process of creating something out of their “Big Ideas”. This gesture will be made by ShopKeep- a company that assists small companies in putting to use point of sale technology via devices such as iPads- in celebration of National Small Business Week.
The founded and CEO of ShopKeep POS- Jason Richelson- explained that small business owners tend to work very hard and enjoy little recognition despite being a significant economic force in our communities. In addition to creating jobs and bringing money into an area, they also often have a deep influence on the character and flavor of the communities in which they work, according to Richelson.
The $15,000 in free grant funding will be awarded in a competition that will be entitled “Small Biz, Big Ideas”. To enter into the contest, small companies will be asked to describe their business venture in 500 characters and to submit an image via Facebook explaining the “Big Idea” behind their business. The winners of the free grant money will be determined by both public votes and a panel of judges from ShopKeep. The grand prize winner of the small business grant will receive an aware of $10,000; meanwhile, five different Runner-Up businesses will each be awarded with $1,000.
At the same time that ShopKeep announced this small business grant competition, they also have launched the “Counter Coulture” initiative. Counter Culture is a project that will create a resource center on the Web that will be focused on innovation in small businesses. CEO Richelson explained that the Counter Coulture initiative is intended to help small businesses “take back Main Street” through the use of innovative technology. Richelson stressed that the possibilities of the cloud are now accessible to businesses of all sizes, and this has created a “small business technology revolution”. ShopKeep POS’s offerings assist small companies in grasping the enterprise-grade technology that was heretofore only available to industry Goliaths.
