Shopify and NYSE Launch the World's Largest Entrepreneurial Competition

Shopify Inc., a leading cloud-based, multichannel commerce platform, today announced its sixth Build a Business Competition, the world’s largest entrepreneurial contest that challenges anyone with a great business idea to start a business and start selling. This year, Shopify is partnering with the New York Stock Exchange to give five entrepreneurs the experience of a lifetime by ringing The Opening Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange and then spending five days at Oheka Castle (The Great Gatsby mansion), along with some of the world’s most celebrated entrepreneurs.

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“This year we’re going back to our roots and focusing on what Shopify is all about: entrepreneurship,” said Tobi Lütke, CEO, Shopify. “Shopify was built for entrepreneurs. We want to help anyone with a great idea turn it into a million dollar company in a really short time. It’s never been easier to start a business than it is today; we hope this competition is the kick in the pants that any aspiring entrepreneur needs to go get started.”

For its sixth year, Shopify is partnering with some of the world’s most respected business leaders, to help aspiring entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. This year’s mentors will join the winners of the competition during their five-day stay at the castle. The list of industry icons include:

• Tony Robbins (Author, Philanthropist)
• Russell Simmons (Media Mogul, Philanthropist)
• Troy Carter (CEO of Atom Factory)
• Daymond John (FUBU, Shark Tank)
• Tobi Lütke (CEO and Founder of Shopify)
• Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek)
• Marie Forleo (MarieTV)
• Tom Farley (President of NYSE Group)
• Mark Hoffman (President of CNBC)

“The NYSE recognizes that entrepreneurs are a driving force in the economy,” said Tom Farley, President of NYSE Group. “We look forward to one day welcoming the competition winners back to the NYSE as they continue on their path to success and take their companies public.”

The full list of mentors and special guests will announced throughout the competition.

To be eligible in the Build a Business Competition, participants have to start an entirely new business and sell their products using Shopify. At the end of the competition, the top five stores that sell the most over a two-month period will travel to New York City to ring The Opening Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange, be interviewed live by CNBC, then go to the Oheka Castle (The Great Gatsby mansion) for a five-day retreat full of mentorship, personal development, and professional growth.

Over the past five years, the Build a Business Competition has helped create nearly 90,000 new businesses that have sold almost half a billion dollars worth of products. Past winners including DODOcase, GoldieBlox, Coffee Joulies, Bolder Band, MVMT Watches, among many others, have successfully created multi-million dollar companies.

The Build a Business Competition runs from October 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016, with special announcements and resources provided to contestants along the way.

For more details on the Build a Business Competition, including how to sign up, visit www.shopify.com/build.

About Shopify
Shopify is a leading cloud-based, multichannel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants can use the software to design, set up and manage their stores across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social media such as Pinterest and Facebook, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops. The platform also provides a merchant with a powerful back-office and a single view of their business. The Shopify platform was engineered for reliability and scale, using enterprise-level technology made available to businesses of all sizes. Shopify currently powers over 175,000 businesses in approximately 150 countries, including: Tesla Motors, Budweiser, Wikipedia, LA Lakers, the New York Stock Exchange, GoldieBlox, and many more.

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