[Job-Listings] national Business Enterprise competition Now Open at The Chicago Lighthouse

[Jackson, Delores Nikki]

All:

Please share the below opportunity  with budding entrepreneurs in your network.

Thanks,

Nikki

For Immediate Release

THE CHICAGO LIGHTHOUSE LAUNCHES BUSINESS ENTERPRISE COMPETITION
The new initiative will help several individuals who are blind or visually impaired develop business plans to bring their ideas to life and award one with $25,000 in startup seed money.

CHICAGO (October 8, 2025) - Calling all entrepreneurs who are blind or visually impaired! The Chicago Lighthouse is thrilled to announce the launch of its first-ever Business Enterprise Competition, providing an opportunity for an individual who is blind or visually impaired to bring their business ideas to life through mentorship and up to $25,000 in startup seed money.
Facilitated by The Lighthouse's Forsythe Entrepreneurial Center, the Business Enterprise Competition is open to U.S. residents who are blind or visually impaired. In addition to providing one entrepreneur with startup seed money, the competition will help five other entrants develop business plans that can provide a pathway to business ownership that they can take to other investors.
"One of The Chicago Lighthouse's very first programs, dating back to the 1920s, helped people who were blind or visually impaired sell products door-to-door," said Janet P. Szlyk, Ph.D., President and CEO of The Chicago Lighthouse. "A century later, the Forsythe Entrepreneurial Center's Business Enterprise Competition carries that spirit forward. More than that, it showcases the innovation that has long defined our agency and the clients we serve. I am extremely grateful to Sandy Forsythe and the Forsythe Family Foundation for helping us bring this opportunity to life."
The competition will follow a three-phased approach. In the first phase, interested parties will be asked to fill out a brief entry form that will explain the business idea, the problem it solves or value it brings to the market, its target audience and what financial requirements or materials might be required to get the business off the ground. In addition, entrants will have to provide documentation certifying their blindness or vision impairment from a medical professional or state rehabilitation department and complete a virtual skills exam from World Services for the Blind.
>From those submissions, a team from the Forsythe Entrepreneurial Center and Miami University of Ohio will select six proposals to move forward to the second round where entrants will participate in a virtual, non-credit, non-certificate program with instructors from the University's Farmer School of Business. Working one-on-one with instructors, the six finalists will develop complete business plans for their ventures.
Finalists will then be encouraged to submit their completed business plans for final evaluation, where a panel of judges will rate the plans based on a variety of criteria, including products, service and market analysis; marketing and operations plans; management and staff, and financial plan and capital viability. The panel may then award one of those finalists up to $25,000 in seed funding to launch their business.
"I had previously overseen a similar competition at Hadley, and I am excited to re-launch it at The Chicago Lighthouse," said Colleen Wunderlich, Vice President of Partnerships and Head of the Forsythe Entrepreneurial Center at The Chicago Lighthouse. "I cannot wait to see the submissions, as I am sure they will be thoughtful business ideas that will creatively solve difficult business problems."
Applications for Phase One of The Chicago Lighthouse's Business Enterprise Competition are currently available online<https://chicagolighthouse.org/business-competition-entry-form/> and are due by 11:59 p.m. on November 24, 2025.

###
About The Chicago Lighthouse
Since 1906, The Chicago Lighthouse has provided services that help individuals who are blind visually impaired, disabled and Veterans build confidence so that they can live as independently as possible. The Lighthouse's programs include educational services, low-vision treatment and rehabilitation, employment training and job placement, assistive technology sales and instruction and other social service and independent living programs for people of all ages and abilities. The organization provides its essential services at no cost to clients. Serving more than 50,000 people every year, The Chicago Lighthouse is one of the most comprehensive social service agencies of its kind in the nation. For more information, visit, www.chicagolighthouse.org<http://www.chicagolighthouse.org>.



Nikki Jackson
Employment Program Coordinator
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
410-659-9314, extension 2404 | njackson at nfb.org<mailto:njackson at nfb.org>


[National Federation of the Blind]<https://nfb.org/>

                         [Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind>     [Twitter] <https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice>     [Youtube] <https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind>

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.

This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and compliance. To find out more visit the Mimecast website.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/job-listings_nfbnet.org/attachments/20251016/f6e7ae8b/attachment.htm>