BBVA launches Entrepreneurial Opportunity Contest in Denver

DENVER, July 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA USA is taking its small business-focused initiative to the Rocky Mountains, announcing today the beginning of its Entrepreneurial Opportunity Contest in the Denver area.

The overall contest was launched earlier this year in four different markets, with the bank teaming up with The Business Journals for the initiative. The contest aims to garner funding for an established area small business that demonstrates an innovative service, product or business model.

"When we started this contest, we wanted to make it available to markets that have a vibrant small business and entrepreneurial scene, including the Denver area," said BBVA USA Colorado CEO Andy Wykstra. "Small businesses are the lifeblood of this market, and I am excited to see what Denver's innovative minds will bring to the table during this initiative. BBVA's passion to help small businesses thrive has always been one of the bank's cornerstones, and it shows even more with this new opportunity."

Interested businesses can submit applications for the contest on the Business Journals' website by clicking here. Potential contestants must demonstrate how they are innovating to create opportunities for their clients and market, whether through disruptive technology, a new product, service or business model creation or serving customers in new and different ways.

After submission, five finalists will be selected by an internal panel. Those finalists will then pitch their business at a Business Journals event where a panel of judges, combined with public online voting, will select one winner from the market. That business will be awarded $10,000 and an opportunity to compete with previous winners from other markets for an additional $50,000 at the final event in Phoenix.

The contest is open to small business owners that have been established for a minimum of two years as of the date of entry and have at least $1 million in annual revenue.

Previous contests

Other markets where the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Contest has been held include Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The winners of the previous contests are as follows:

• Easy Expunctions (San Antonio)
• The Center for Psychological Services (Dallas)
• RunLab Austin (Austin)
• re:3D (Houston)

For more BBVA news visit, www.bbva.com and the U.S. Newsroom.

Additional news updates can be found via Twitter and Instagram.

For more financial information about BBVA in the U.S., visit bbva.investorroom.com.

About BBVA

BBVA Group
BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market and is the largest financial institution in Mexico. It has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. It is also the leading shareholder in Turkey's BBVA Garanti. BBVA's purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs: provide the best solutions, helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team. BBVA's responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society.

BBVA USA
In the U.S., BBVA is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 641 branches, including 329 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 45 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 17 in New Mexico. The bank ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). In the U.S., BBVA has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 8th nationally in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2018.

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SOURCE BBVA USA