On March 3, the 10th annual Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards competition will be launched, organized by the The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation. The laureates include companies from a range of sectors. Those awarded encompass both traditional businesses and those in keeping with the spirit of the times. The competition is open to all owners of microenterprises who have an idea and a vision, and consistently strive for success. Honorary patronage of the competition has been assumed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Janusz Piechociński, and this year's prize pool is 85,000 zł.
The Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards competition was created in order to award outstanding companies and promote the idea of entrepreneurship in Polish society, says Krzysztof Kaczmar, President of The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation, organizer of the competition. We appreciate the potential that lies in microfirms, the creativity of their founders, the striving for success, and steadfast pursuit of their vision in spite of many obstacles. Thus far, we have awarded 93 companies, and therefore we strongly encourage the owners of even the smallest firms to take part in the competition, adds Kaczmar.
Original business ideas and determination to achieve goals pay off. Last year's winner of the competition - the firm Digital Core Design, which designs modern processors and integrated circuits - can testify to this. DCG is the creator and producer of the world's faster processor, the DQ80251, and its technological solutions have been used in satellites, airplanes, industrial devices, as well as consumer electronics. DCG licenses for selected innovations have been bought by renowned firms such as Intel, Sony, Philips, and Siemens. What winning the competition means is aptly summed up by the company's president, Jacek Hanke: The title "Microentrepreneur of the Year 2013" is on the one hand a way of honoring a 15-year-old firm, and on the other, a call to commit ourselves to maintaining our tempo in the coming years. Because of the competition, we have bought new equipment, employed additional staff, and gained valuable business contacts. Therefore, we wholeheartedly encourage microentrepreneurs to enter the latest edition of the competition.
The opportunities and prospects opened up by success in the competition are also highlighted by the 2011 winner, Jerzy Sznerski, owner of the firm Sznerski Guss from the foundry sector: Thanks to winning the competition, my company's turnover has increased fourfold!
The Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards competition is being organized already for the tenth time. Its goal is to support small businesses. One can enter it using the application form on the website of the The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation during the period March 3 to April 13, 2014. The competition is aimed at companies that employ less than 10 workers, and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed 2 million euros.
Honorary patronage of the competition has been assumed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Janusz Piechociński. The partners of the competition are the Microfinance Centre and the Coalition for Microentrepreneurship. The Coalition's membership comprises the Business Centre Club, the Family Business Initiative, the National Chamber of Commerce, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Entrepreneurial Poland, the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan, Employers of Poland, and the Polish Craft Association.
