A dozen projects will be presented by Vitebsk participants of the republican business idea competition

A culinary online project, a studio of Belarusian folklore and traditions, and other ideas from novice and more experienced Vitebsk businessmen will compete for a place in the republican final of the business idea competition from the IPM Business School, reported Irina Shaikevich, head of the school's representative office in Vitebsk. 

The competition of ideas and innovative projects was announced in December 2015 and attracted a wide audience of enterprising Belarusians. In Vitebsk, out of all submitted applications, 12 projects made it to the regional selection, the final of which will be held in the regional center on April 23. A discussion panel with leading business experts is planned, and the best entrepreneurs of the region will share their success secrets. And, of course, the participants themselves will present their projects, from which the experts will select a maximum of three best ones. They will compete for valuable prizes and gifts from the IPM Business School and partners in the final of the competition, which will be held in Minsk in May.

"The spheres that the contestants from our region have touched upon are quite extensive. The authors of one of the projects propose to transform vacant industrial buildings of the Soviet past into loft spaces for the cultural environment. Among the particularly well-developed projects are the idea of creating an online portal about the lakes of Belarus, the culinary project NaParu.by, the studio of Belarusian folklore and traditional folk holidays for children "Lantsuzhok", a design studio and tailoring of lingerie for women who have undergone breast surgery," Irina Shaikevich gave examples of business initiatives of Vitebsk participants in the competition. 

A series of events has already been held with the project authors. The expert council, consisting of enterprise managers and business trainers, met the participants and their ideas and gave preliminary assessments. And each expert chose a project for himself, for which he acts as a mentor, helping with practical advice and recommendations. Master classes on public speaking and presentation techniques, and on project financial indicators were also held.

"Participation in the competition offers all authors the opportunity to refine their ideas and increase their chances of implementation. Contestants receive step-by-step assistance in creating a business plan, as well as free access to the six best distance learning courses from the IPM Business School. They get acquainted with successful businessmen not only from their region but from all over Belarus. And for the grand finale in Minsk, representatives of the international investment community, business angels, and venture investors will also come," explained Irina Shaikevich. 

The competition of entrepreneurial ideas is organized within the framework of the project for the Promotion of Education in Regions for Entrepreneurial Success (DRIVES), which is implemented with the support of PYXERA Global (USA) through funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). CJSC "Alfa-Bank" acts as the general partner.

Ekaterina Knyazeva - BELTA.