Baltimore County, MD (Feb. 17, 2026) – Community College of Baltimore County’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades hosted its 13th Annual Business Plan Competition Awards where 12 aspiring entrepreneurs shared their top pitches. The winning entrepreneurs shared a total of 80,000 in seed money to be used as start-up capital for their new or growing businesses.
Prize money was made possible by the generous support of the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation, which has awarded more than $2 million in grant funding to expand the Center for Business Innovation over the last 10 years. In addition to the start-up capital to support entrepreneurs, the grant provides instructional support to develop new courses and workshops to strengthen the business acumen for those interested in starting a new business.
“It has been incredibly rewarding to support this year’s finalists as they turned bold ideas into strong business plans and shared their ventures with confidence,” said Dennis Sullivan, executive director of CCBC’s Center for Business Innovation & Trades. “This year also marked one of the biggest turnouts we’ve ever had, which speaks volumes about the growing entrepreneurial spirit across CCBC and our community. Although only a few entrepreneurs receive seed funding, every finalist has shown remarkable creativity, resilience, and potential. We are excited to continue cheering them on as they grow, launch, and make an impact in the years ahead.”
This year’s first-place prize of $25,000 was awarded to Krystal Bailey (Baltimore, MD) of Creative Chaos Studio, LLC, which is a mobile creative wellness company that delivers art and karaoke experiences through interactive events and workshops for homes, schools, festivals, and corporate settings. Other winners included:
Second place ($20,000): Tatiana Joseph, Liquidspades, LLC (Owings Mills, MD). Liquidspades is an immersive art company that designs custom folded-paper installations and interior sculptures tailored to private collectors, luxury brands, and exhibition spaces.
Third place ($15,000): Giselle Chavez-Hernandez and Reif Hoey, Real Growth Marketing (Parkville, MD). Their digital marketing agency provides social media management and advertising campaign services to help small businesses and sole proprietors grow their online presence.
Fourth place ($10,000): Kaoutar Cheji, Zahara Blends (Baltimore, MD). Zahara Blends is a Moroccan women-owned beauty company that offers 100% pure, cold-pressed argan oils sourced from women-led cooperatives for authentic, transparent hair and skin care.
Runner-up ($5,000): Kellie Miller, Bmore Bomb (Dundalk, MD). Bmore Bomb is a Maryland-based handcrafted lip care company that creates high-quality, natural lip balms using nourishing ingredients to promote confidence, creativity, and self-care.
Runner-up ($5,000): Hannah Jeremiah, BraidCare Studios (Baltimore, MD). BraidCare Studios is a premium salon and haircare company that specializes in protective styling and scalp-safe solutions for women with textured hair, combining luxury service with clean, irritation-free products.
Since 2013, CCBC’s Annual Business Plan Competition has helped launch 71 new businesses and distributed nearly $500,000 in seed money. Over the last 10 years, more than 5,000 people have engaged with CBIT’s business programs, and more than 3,100 people have earned college and continuing education credits in a variety of entrepreneurial courses and workshops.
For more information, visit www.ccbcmd.edu/innovation.
Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, over 50,000 students enroll at the college’s main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers. CCBC offers the region’s most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction, and transportation. Designated as the “Best Community College” among the Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Reader Rankings, CCBC is also nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies and among the nation’s top associate degree producers.
Director of Communications