We are so pleased to share our wonderful experience with a great small business development program at Lorain County Community College called LaunchNET. This program's mission is to support the dreams of student, alumni and faculty entrepreneurs by providing business advice, connections, networking opportunities, microgrants, and so much more! Kloud9 Barkery was awarded one of these microgrants this week at a luncheon held for some of the small businesses that have been established with LaunchNET's assistance. You can check them out on their website or Facebook to learn more about the program and the businesses that they support. Their services are free and their advice and knowledge of the business community is invaluable. We're so thankful for their support! They even wrote an incredibly kind article highlighting our business which you can read here! The microgrant program is generously funded by the Burton D Morgan Foundation, who also highlighted us here! Thank you so much for the support!
In addition to receiving the microgrant, Kloud9 Barkery also applied for a small business challenge open to college students called IdeaLabs. We were chosen as the winners of the competition at the local level and represented LCCC in the regional competition in Akron, OH. This program is sponsored by the Entrepeneurship Education Consortium and is designed to help foster creative thinking and entrepreneurial development in colleges in the Northeast Ohio area, featuring more than 12 different schools.
The funds awarded from the LaunchNET microgrant and the first place prize money from IdeaLabs will allow us to grow our small business immensely. We plan to develop branded signage and marketing materials to promote ourselves within the community, which would have otherwise been pushed aside as we prioritize expenses as a new startup. In addition to creating more brand awareness, we're also able to create raffle baskets and other donations to help support local animal rescues. Both Lola and Rosie came from Safe Harbor Animal Rescue, and giving back to amazing organizations such as these is a goal of ours from day one. This infusion of capital will allow us to make that a reality much sooner than would have otherwise been possible.
These opportunities to grow our business are very much appreciated! We are so grateful to be able to have people to turn to for advice and be a part of a network of entrepreneurs who are, or have been, in our shoes!