Congratulations to our Winners!

1^st Place - $12,000

TonerBum by Better Way Body, LLC:

Alina Kravchenko

Advisors - Karen Sharp & Irsan Tisnabudi 

Toner Bum is the World's most versatile glute trainer & kettlebell in one - ergonomically designed to tone every part of your glutes in just five minutes a day, and all in the comfort of your home.  There is no other product like the TonerBum Glute Trainer + Kettlebell on the market.  It’s ergonomic U-shaped design is good for use on your leg and with your hands for highly effective exercises in a full glute workout in just five minutes.

"I aired on Shark Tank with another invention without a business plan, just an awesome patented idea and a lot of high energy! For me, the HCC Business plan competition was more challenging because it required a really strong business plan to get to the finals. The competition training sessions were great in helping me sharpen my weaknesses and create a solid plan. I can definitely say that I am a better and more confident entrepreneur now and ready for any questions that a customer, investor, or potential licensee may have for me about my company. 

I will use my $12,000 prize money to purchase more inventory to sustain my current demand as I seek a licensing deal.  I'm a serial inventor and I have lots of great ideas for innovative solution-based products that empower women. I want to continue drawing exposure and success to TonerBum, land a licensing deal, let the big entities push it out all over, collect my royalties and use the proceeds to develop more of my inventions.

2^nd Place - $8,000

Gulfgate Animal Hospital

Katherine Palmer

Team Member: Lesly Saenz Johnson

Advisors: Darrell Pevoteaux & Dakota Mills

Gulfgate Animal Hospital has been offering small animal veterinary services to Southeast Houston patients since 1948. Our hospital offers all the core veterinary services our client's pet requires to stay healthy, from preventive wellness exams and vaccinations, to dental care, internal medicine, radiology and surgical care. Our focus is on quality medicine with convenient patient exam options including appointments and walk-in urgent care visits.  

Opened in 1948, Dr. Kathy Palmer joined the Gulfgate Animal Hospital team in 2007. In 2010, when the previous owner retired, Dr. Palmer became the sole owner. She is proud to have outstanding retention of a strong staff from when she assumed ownership and consistently since then, while also nurturing a loyal repeat working class client base in Southeast Houston catering to growing demand, especially in recent years.

We have acquired land to expand our facility to meet demand that far exceeds our current facilities. The competition helped us to create a strong focused plan to move forward. The connections we have made through the competition have been outstanding. Our plan is to secure funding to build our new facilities from 4,500 square feet (s.f.) to 10,000 s.f. with an estimated opening date of Spring, 2024. The enlarged footprint and improved facilities will help us to continue to offer high level care to our loyal and growing working class client base.

Thanks to HCC for all of your help. I graduated from the HCC Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in 2012 and now from the HCC Business Plan Competition in 2022. Both of these opportunities have been pivotal in my business growth!!

3^rd Place - $4,000

B2G Victory, LLC:

Susan Repka

Team Members: Julie Hartman & Emily Kelley

Advisor: Sheila Patterson

B2G Victory helps businesses win government contracts! We work with women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses to develop a custom roadmap for responding to and winning contracts.

Our trilateral relationship provides businesses, Prime Contractors, and Government Agencies the ability to collaborate, drive innovation, and be mutually successful. 

The company was founded in January 2022 by Co-Founders Julie Irvin Hartman and Susan M. Repka. Julie has 20+ years of experience as a Certified Proposal Manager, and Susan has 20+ years in business capacity building. B2G Victory was formed by merging two successful businesses with similar services into one company. The HCC Business Plan Competition allowed us to define our goals for the company further and develop a framework for our future.

Our membership platform will launch in July, and the $4,000 will be used to start a podcast to raise awareness of our company, our services, and the membership portal across Texas.

Honorable Mention - $1,000

MOVUS Energy Solutions

Jose Mogollon

Team Members: Daniela Mogollon & Francis Peretti

Advisors: Barbara Reiff & Mike Fadden

MOVUS Energy Solutions was created to address the paradigm shift toward digitalization in the Upstream Oil & Gas sector and the challenge of Net Zero CO₂ emissions.  That includes project execution, advising, proprietary software, and training services.  We understand the need to leverage digitalization to increase technical processes efficiency, reduce General & Administrative costs, and position for future volatile market conditions.  

The combination of our expertise and proprietary digital solutions like CO₂SequestrationSolver^TM and Pro-ToM^TM allows us to deliver highly customized, fit for purpose solutions that address our clients' most critical needs in an expedited fashion and at considerable cost savings compared to traditional methods. MOVUS is at the differentiating vanguard of digital transformation for our clients. 

The HCC Business Plan Competition helped us identify and characterize more potential customers in the USA and confirm our plan to reach and serve them online. Next steps are building our client base and continued development of an Artificial Intelligence-based product. We will use our prize money on a digital marketing campaign. This is timely as we move toward our July 2022 opening date.

Honorable Mention - $1,000

Art Your Senses

Carmen Flores

Advisor: Leeanne Aguilar

Art Your Senses (AYS) has been developed by Carmen Flores to fill the need for a professional art

studio and gallery that offers art instruction for kids 5-12 years old and seniors. We provide

formal art classes of different techniques with a progressive curriculum in a friendly, relaxed environment instructed by professional artists. Our differentiation is a step-by-step advancing curriculum designed to develop not only art skills, but also problem solving, self-regulation, speaking skills, confidence and more, while the student earns higher levels as they move through the program. Engagement with the arts also helps people with depression, reduces stress and improves mental health. This is scientifically proven. Art Your Senses’ vision is to cultivate a vibrant art community, and to inspire people to improve their lives through creating, collecting, and connecting through art. 

My participation in the Business Plan Competition and Small Business Success Series by HCC^© was invaluable. The training in both programs helped me develop and substantiate my business idea and plan. My main takeaway from the competition is I learned how to produce and present all the necessary materials to ask for a loan or line of credit to fund my business. I see great value in funding the majority of my business personally and seeking incremental funding as I grow in progressive steps. After these programs, I’m a better entrepreneur and I’m confident I will start my business successfully.

My $1,000 in prize money will go to marketing activities. We are currently in negotiations for a studio location in Richmond, TX with an estimated opening in Fall 2022.

Meet our Winners - 1- Minute Intro Video From Each

HCC Thanks our 

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition (BPC)

Cash Prize Sponsors

Cash Prize Sponsors

BPC Alumni Sponsors

More about our Sponsors - The Entities and The People!

Congratulations to our

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition Graduates

The goal of the HCC Business Plan Competition is to empower all teams accepted into the competition training and mentoring and through the opportunity to build that into the refinement and polishing of written plans that are submitted in May.  

Twenty-two teams completed six competition training sessions, participated in one-on-one advising with their advisors, and met deadlines to submit written plans, presentation slides and one-minute videos in May!  

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition 

22 Graduating Teams

 and the Competition Delivery Team

See our Digital Yearbook for

A celebration of the HCC Business Plan Competition's 15th Anniversary with pics of winners, graduates, sponsors and leaders and partners throughout the years. 

Review of the 2022 Competition Journey for this Graduating Cohort

Digital Year Book

Our yearbook includes more pics of all of our 2022 graduates, competition events and training and the big buildup to announcement of our winners!

2022 Graduating Teams & Their Advisors 

• Action One Media Group, LLC - Action Jackson, Curtis Wallace, Jeanetta Marigny; Advisor: Kimberly Penn
• Agape Love House - Latoya Williams, Gerarde Williams; Advisors: Farhan Durrani & Christina Meade
• BORK LLC - Grethel González, Grecia Marin; Advisors: Arneisha Sadler & Ana Boa-Ventura 
• Bridge Rubber Bearing, LLC - Krishnamoorthy Palaniappan; Advisors: Willy Verbrugghe & Adolfo Morales 
• College Excellence - Judy Young; Advisors: Gabriela Rendon & Shawn Lacagnina
• Crowns Plant Based Ice Cream LLC - Tia Green; Advisor: Alexis Rios
• Forstner Innovations - Margo Jordan Baines, Anthony Forstner; Adivsors: Linda Hampton Norris & Jorge Mora      
• Healthy Hair Magic LLC - Julia Johnson; Advisors: Erik Streight & Reda Hicks
• Kenneth Gay Education - Kenneth Gay, Kisha White; Advisors: Laura Estrada & Patty Sobelman   
• KTX Window Cleaning, LLC - Olivia Martin; Advisors: Jeanette Wright & Austin Tenette  
• La Verte - Briana Campbell; Advisors: Sharon Jenkins & Howard London         
• On-Site Welding and Fabrication LLC - Qawi Rahmaan; Advisors: Jennifer Simpson & Jim Cutler
• Renewable Energies, Inc. - Sandeep Pednekar; Advisors: David Wall
• Rights and Gains - Igor Egin, Roel Esteban Cantu; Advisors: Irin Nishi & Ravi Brahmbhatt
• SafetyKay LLC - Krystle Hodge; Advisors: Steve Bussman & Robert Zepeda
• The Cheesecake Queen - Trenee-Elaine Bailey; Advisors: David Norris & Chuck Weiser
• TVP-Care - Richard Walker, Ilanit Meckley, Elizabeth Delledera; Advisors: Christal Maxwell & Kristi Von Woglom.
• Thanks also to our Additional Advisors and Reviewers:  In these challenging times, schedules change for contestants and advisors, and we have other advisors who contributed their time and expertise. We'd like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to: Lalitha Raman, Juan Crawford, Clive Defty, Donald Bellman, Kim Roxie, Michelle Chenault, Tiko Reynolds, Wande Adedeji, Kristen Fenrick, Steve Rosencranz, Lindsy Bivens, John Harris and Francisco Gonzalez.

The greatest prize has already been set in motion by all finalists and graduating teams with: the training, advising, group inspiration, galvanizing team work, lessons learned and milestones achieved. The experience and connections can keep on giving as well. 

We celebrated all twenty-two teams and their advisors on June 9th.

Award Ceremony Web Album - June 9, 2022

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, 

in-kind prizes valued at $51,000 were also awarded to all graduating teams! 

HCC Thanks our 

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition

In-Kind Prize Sponsors

More about our Sponsors - The Entities and The People!

 Community Photos and Video

Our Awards Ceremony & Reception was

Interactive & Dynamic

With 125 in attendance the room was a buzz with finalists, graduates, alumni, their families and friends, leaders, trainers, partners and sponsors. Our event was a microcosm of the Houston Entrepreneurial eco-system in action surrounding our graduates with resources, entities and dedicated people offering support! 

We also thanked our long-standing community partners including the Small Business Administration, SCORE, the University of Houston SBDC and SURE programs, City of Houston Mayor's Office of Business Opportunity, Liftoff Houston Startup Competition and the Houston Area Urban League. 

Thanks also to all of the competition alumni from past years who came to support our 2022 graduates and thanks to those alumni who spoke at our ceremony to offer words of inspiration and encouragement: Megan Eddings (2018), Connie Rankin (2013), Tiffany Williams (2016), Janice Jucker (2015), Helen Callier (2016) and Lisa Reyna (2010).

Many present were snapping pics with a flurry of social media posts following our big day! We've gathered up some of those photos too: 

Award Ceremony - Community Photo - Web Album - June 9, 2022

About the Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship

HCC Northwest

OUR MISSION: To help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

We do this by offering workshops, seminars, summits, classes and competitive training and advising, while also providing practical knowledge, resources and connections. We are also known for three Signature Programs: the Annual HCC Business Plan Competition, now in its 15th year; the Small Business Success Series by by HCC^©; and the HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling^©. More About Us



Contact us at c4e@hccs.edu or 713-718-6650

Houston Community College Wins 2022 Bellwether Award for Entrepreneurial Initiatives

Houston Community College has won the 2022 Bellwether Award for its outstanding and innovative workforce development program: HCC’s Entrepreneurial Initiatives. The Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation’s most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges. Dr. Maya Durnovo, HCC’s chief entrepreneurial initiatives officer leads HCC’s mission of helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses to bolster the local economy, create jobs and build Houston’s ecosystem by starting and growing small businesses, including minority-, veteran- and women-owned businesses. Dr. Durnovo said. “I am so fortunate to have a highly motivated and passionate team that strives for excellence in everything they do.”

Houston Community College Receives 2021 Diversity In Business Award from the Houston Business Journal!

Congratulations to all students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs (aspiring & existing); and to all our community participants, supporters, volunteers, partners and sponsors who collaborate with us to make awards like this possible! Congratulations also to all of the other honorees and awardees! 

#WeAreHCC # HoustonStrong #HBJDiversity

Houston Community College 

2020 Entrepreneurial College of the Year

The Houston Community College System was selected as the winner of the 2020 Entrepreneurial College of the Year award by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) at NACCE's annual conference, where entrepreneurial colleges from across the U.S. gather to share best practices. On behalf of all of our entrepreneurial programs and staff, we thank all of the entrepreneurs, partners, sponsors, volunteers, students, and HCC faculty and staff who have contributed to our efforts! Without your support and dedication to our programs, this wouldn't have been possible!