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JPMorgan Chase is giving away $210,000 to help local companies start or expand their export sales.
Applications for the Metro Export Challenge opened Oct. 15 at AtlantaExportPortal.com, where companies must submit an assessment of export readiness to be considered for grant funding.
After that, eligible firms will be asked to apply for 35 $5,000 grants doled out through a matching reimbursement program. Companies that spend those funds by May 16 will be invited to a Pitch Day next year, where they’ll present their plans for additional funding — “Shark Tank” style, according to Jen Yun, coordinator of the Atlanta Metro Export Plan.
Pitch day will result in three winners taking home $20,000, $10,000 and $5,000 each.
Ms. Yun said the deadline for submissions will be mid-December and that while it’s focused on metro Atlanta, economic development organizations should encourage companies from other parts of the state to fill out the assessment.
The grants are part of the Metro Export Plan, an initiative undertaken with the research help of the Brookings Institution and funding by JPMorgan Chase to help the city create a strategy for boosting the international sales of local companies.
At a June 3 launch, JPMorgan committed $300,000 to the overall plan, some of it going toward the development of the online portal, which also includes listings of service providers and export-related events.
Visit www.atlantaexportportal.com for more information.