OREANDA-NEWS. November 19, 2010. At a ceremonial event, winners of the grant programme Takeoff (Atsperiens), which was organised by the Riga City Council and Swedbank, were announced. They have been granted finance for the implementation and development of their business ideas. In this 4th Takeoff, in total 77 business project ideas were submitted to the Riga City Council Business Coordination Centre; of them 9 most promising were chosen to receive the allocated total amount of LVL 44,949.49, reported the press-centre of Swedbank.

‘To start a new business, one has to dream, research, dare and apply for a grant from the Takeoff programme. Probably, years later, it will be the traditional way of starting innovative businesses. So far, 47 companies in Riga have used this way. If you have an idea and need a takeoff for your business flight, new applicants will be welcomed next year,’ said Ervins Labanovskis, Director, Riga City Council Business Coordination Centre.

„I am truly glad that there are so many purposeful business people in Latvia who dare to make their own business and who see opportunities for implementing their business ideas. I am convinced that when they get carried away with their business ideas, they do not count the time spent for implementing them, and excellence is achieved through hard work. We as a leading bank in Latvia, together with the Riga City Council, provide support to medium- and small-sized enterprises, and it becomes easier for them to reach the takeoff point," explained Daniils Rulovs, Board Member and Corporate Banking Head at Swedbank Latvia.
The following new business projects won a grant in this fourth Takeoff:

‘High-Quality Children Food Production Plant’: finance for purchasing the equipment, registering the trademark, product certification and developing a webpage;

‘Individual Design Footwear Production Shop’: finance for equipment purchase;

‘Innovative Network (IP) CCTV’: finance for purchasing the software, developing a webpage and training the employees;

‘Rocker Rockingvespa’: finance for acquiring the equipment, registering the trademark and for acquiring accounting services;

‘Car Windscreen Washing Fluid Filling Plant’: finance for equipping the plant;

‘OLIGO’: finance for designing and producing a new table game;

‘Winter Park in Mezaparks Scene’: to make it possible to ride down the hill on vehicle tyre tubes already in this winter;

‘Healthy Meal Cafe for Children’: finance for acquiring the equipment and developing a webpage;

‘Vadipats.lv’ (Manage Yourself): finance for a project aimed at business people who use single-entry bookkeeping.

The grant programme Takeoff is organised by the Riga City Council and Swedbank with the aim to encourage business activity and support the implementation of new business ideas. The size of grants available under the programme is up to LVL 6,000 that can be used to cover the initial costs of setting up a business. The grant programme was commenced in 2009; so far in 4 rounds 47 businesses have received aid in the amount of LVL 213,000. In addition, to make daily business activity more convenient, the winners of this round received from the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre an e-signature kit for electronic registration of their new companies.