#Newsflash | Congratulations To The Four Winners of QEDC’s Sixteenth Annual StartUP! Business Plan Competition – QEDC

#Newsflash | Congratulations To The Four Winners of QEDC’s Sixteenth Annual StartUP! Business Plan Competition

BY QEDC It's In Queens

The Queens Economic Development Corporation has announced the four winners of the sixteenth annual Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition, a five-month challenge-and-instruction course sponsored by Resorts World New York City. Each winner receives $10,000 to jumpstart their new business.

Adelaide Paul, who was born in Dominica but lives in Cambria Heights, took first place in the “Food” category with her Dekkade Foods seasoning brand. This tropical blend of all-natural herbs and spices adds aroma and flavor to marinades, pesto, sauces, and meat.

In the “Technology” category, Courtney Stern and Broad Channel resident Sondra Young won for Park Watch, a free app that helps motorists find free street parking.

Astoria-based Eli Goldman and Tikkun BBQ received top honors in the “Community” category. He makes and sells delicious smoked meats from host brick-and-mortar venues and donates half of the proceeds to local charities, such as Safe Horizon, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Astoria Food Pantry.

The champions in the “Sustainability” category were Aimee Wu and Nancy B Uddin from XING Studios. The Long Island City-based fashion label pays above-market wages to local seamstresses to produce made-to-order clothing from upcycled fabrics.

Over the course of this year’s StartUP! competition, about 200 participants received technical assistance and training on such business topics as operations, marketing, and financial statements, while also enjoying access to advice from experts. Then, many of them submitted business plans to selected judges, who determined the winners.

“Since entrepreneurs are the bedrock of the borough’s economy, I congratulate and commend this year’s StartUP! winners and wish them the best of luck in the future,” stated QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein, who’s to the left of Adelaide Paul above and to the right of Courtney Stern below. “And as always, I wholeheartedly thank Resorts World New York City, which has supported QEDC in so many ways since its opening. Finally, if anybody has an idea for a new business, please consider enrolling in the next StartUP! program this fall.”

Founded in 1977, QEDC strives to create and retain jobs through programming that assists small businesses, encourages entrepreneurship, and promotes our community with an emphasis on supporting those of low-to-moderate income, women, minorities, and immigrants. For more information on QEDC and StartUP!, click here.