Queens StartUP! Finalists Presented at Museum of the Moving Image

Last night, I attended an event produced by the Queens Economic Development Corporation at the Museum of the Moving Image over on 35th Avenue in almond-eyed Astoria. It was a celebration of entrepreneurs who are doing interesting and positive things in the borough. The group announced winners in their eighth annual Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition, which is organized by the Queens Economic Development Corporation and  Citi Foundation, with help from Queens Library.

The Museum’s Hearst lobby is a truly striking place, although you do wonder a bit if you’ve wandered onto a Star Trek set. It’s dressed in all white, covered in somewhat reflective materials, and lit entirely by a huge wall of windows leading out onto a white courtyard with colored accent lights.

from movingimage.us

The Hearst Lobby, William Fox Amphitheater, Moving Image Store, and Moving Image Café are all part of a dramatic transformation that now guarantees the Museum is at once an international center for the appreciation and study of the moving image, and an inviting, user-friendly destination for local museum-goers and tourists from around the world.

Architectural Team: Leeser Architecture, New York

Founder and Principal: Thomas Leeser

Project Manager: David Linehan

Design Team: Simon Arnold, Kate Burke, Sofia Castricone, Henry Grosman, Joseph Haberl

Queensicans of all stripes began to arrive at the event, which was quite “buzzy.” Business cards were being exchanged, people were shaking hands and smiling. I ran into a few people I knew, including Queens Borough Historian Jack Eichenbaum and Sheila Lewandowsky from LIC’s Chocolate Theater.

Everybody was making a beeline for the bar, where light refreshments were offered and wine was being served.

Helping out with keeping the party well lubricated was Q’Stoner’s own Rob Mackay, who has been writing the “It’s in Queens” feature here.

A microphone was activated and the whole point of the evening came to fruition — naming the nine finalists for this year’s Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition. Here’s the description from QEDC:

StartUP! is a five-month challenge-and-instruction course. Participants attend seminars on various business-related topics and then present a business plan, which a Citi panel reviews. The three categories are “community,” “food,” and “innovation.” More than 250 participants received technical assistance and training on topics such as pricing, marketing and tax filing while also enjoying access to entrepreneurial resources at Queens Central Library in Jamaica. Then, more than 25 teams submitted business plans to the Citi judges. There are nine still standing.

Seth Bornstein from QEDC, along with a representative from Citigroup, named the finalists. For community – Nancy Agabain of Heightening Stories, Karen Domingo Moran of Kidspire, Elease Wiggins of Elease, LLC. Food – Esta-Joy Sydell, of Esta-Joy’s Kitchen, Leslie Heredia of Rockafeast, and Joseph Bradlee Boggess of Underhill. Innovation – Amy Saekow of Tisana Herbal Elixirs, Michael Piggot of GameChaser, and Laken Kingof Elle & Cee World Girls.

Not all of the nominees were there – hey, it’s Passover and Easter and there’s probably a thousand other holidays celebrated in Queens this weekend that most of us have never heard of – but those present lined up and these cute kids all decided to mug for the camera when the flashes started going off.

During the Queens Taste 2015 event, the final three winners will be announced, and each will get $10,000 each to jumpstart their businesses.

Newtown Creek Alliance Historian Mitch Waxman lives in Astoria and blogs at Newtown Pentacle.