10 Challenge FROM PAGE 1


That’s where you and the IoT Home Inspector Challenge come in.


We’re asking innovators to


come up with a tech solution to the security vulnerabilities caused when IoT household products are running out-of-date software. Perhaps it’s a physical device people could add to their home networks that would install security updates for other devices on that network. Or it could be an app, cloud-based service, or dashboard. Or maybe it’s something entirely different that you’ve been noodling through for some time now. Come up with the idea selected by an expert panel of five judges and you could win the big prize. (Submissions that earn an honorable mention could win up to $3,000.)


Here are some important details: Submissions will be accepted


between March 1, 2017, and 12 noon EDT on May 22, 2017.


Volume 11 Number 4 In the initial stage, judges will


assess each entrant’s abstract or video. Based on that, they will select up to 20 entrants to move to the final round. That’s when the judges will review those entrants’ complete submissions. (Please read the rules, criteria, and registration information carefully. We’ve posted some preliminary FAQs, but check the IoT Home Inspector Challenge homepage for details as the March 1st opening date draws near.)


Winners will be announced on July 27, 2017, or thereabouts.


Even if you don’t enter the


Challenge, there are other dos and dont’s that industry members should heed. Read the FTC’s Careful Connections: Building Security in the Internet of Things and Start with Security: A Guide for Business for compliance basics. Also, the Challenge in no way changes the fundamental principle that IoT companies must honor their privacy and security promises and refrain from unfair practices.


Career and Business Opportunities


For information on part-time and full-time career opportunities, call: 757-575-1863


L to R: Natalia Olson-Urtecho, RA-Mid Atlantic Region, Zee Worstell, CEO of Accelerate Her LLC, Francine Spinelli, COO of Accelerate Her, Keyanna Conner, State Director for Senator Mark Warner Office


BY NATALIA OLSON-URTECHO, SBA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR The New Year is a time of


reflection for us all. For me, and the 180 SBA offices, SCORE chapters; Business Development Centers and other SBA resources I oversee in SBA’s Mid-Atlantic Region, this is an especially poignant time as I say goodbye to the many wonderful small business advocates and entrepreneurs I’ve met during my tenure as President Obama’s appointee to lead business development here.


In these four-plus years, I’ve


put more than 50,000 miles on my personal vehicle, and untold more in plane, rental car and rail miles to visit as many regional partners and small business owners as I possibly could. My goal was to learn from each one, to see what we were doing right, what we were doing wrong, and what we weren’t doing at all to help them grow our economy. Each entrepreneur’s and partner’s story rings of a conviction to make a better life for families and communities, and I’ve learned so much from each encounter.


I had the honor of visiting


AccelerateHer of Williamsburg, Virginia just a few months ago to present them with a $50,000 grant check (one of $3.4M in prizes nationwide) as one of three winners in Virginia of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition.


SBA’s Growth Accelerator


Fund Competition provides winners with critical, supplemental capital to operating budgets of entrepreneurial systems across the U.S. Through this


highly competitive process, applicants have greater opportunity to scale up, or launch something completely new.


Mothers, wives and


businesswomen, Zee Worstell and Francine Spinelli created AccelerateHer as “a female-centric” remote business accelerator for independent women business owners. In accepting those funds, AccelerateHer commits to quarterly reporting of metrics including jobs created, funds raised, startups launched and corporate sponsors obtained. This allows SBA to continue building its database of accelerators and their impact, and to develop long-term relationships with startups and constituents in these innovative and entrepreneurial communities.


AccelerateHer is just one of


many small business success stories in Virginia. In Fiscal Year 2016, SBA guaranteed in excess 701 loans equaling $293 million for Virginia’s small businesses community, extended 178 disaster loans amounting to $6,761,700 to the Hampton Roads area following Hurricane Matthew, and assisted 9,365 Virginia-based clients through 639 customized training events throughout the state.


I’m proud of the accomplishments


of the small businesses and of SBA in Virginia. We are, after all, the only federal agency specifically created to help entrepreneurs get going, growing, and hiring. As I like to say, “Business is our middle name.” Our capable and eager business and lending specialists look forward to helping you with your entrepreneurial dream in 2017.


Get a jump on your competition... Advertise.


Call the Hampton Roads Messenger at 757-575-1863


Your Opinion Matters


Small business champion reflects on four years of successes for local entrepreneurs


January 2017


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16