Three Tarrant County businesses have advanced to the final presentation in the sixth annual Fort Worth Business Plan Competition, a program of the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center and presented by Capital One. The finalists, who will present to judges Oct. 27 at Texas Christian University, in alphabetical order, are:

Benefit Acupuncture, Dr. Hilary Lai – Delivers solutions for illnesses ranging from pain, allergies, chronic illness, stroke rehabilitation and infertility.

Creative Minds Solutions, Dr. Richard Navarro – Designs and manufactures hydroelectric turbines to generate electricity from water, such as lakes and oceans.

Docs Street Grill, Steve Alade – Offers Caribbean street food as a mobile food concessionaire with plans for four brick-and-mortar restaurants.

The finalists emerged from the 10 semifinalists who competed during a Pitch Night presentation Oct. 6 at Moncrief Cancer Institute. They will be judged Oct. 27 on their business plans and their presentations at the TCU Dee J. Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center. All three will share cash and prize packages valued at nearly $70,000. Attendance is free, but registration at www.fwbac.com is required.

Robert Sturns, Director of the City of Fort Worth’s Economic Development Department, which oversees the BAC, said: “We are excited to have our three finalists from more than 50 that originally applied during June. They have gone through a very comprehensive educational process to be able to formulate a good business plan that will positively impact their business and the local economy. We are grateful to our judges, our partners and sponsors who make this competition possible.”

The competition, open to Tarrant County businesses and startups, began in July. Twenty nine businesses from the entries were selected for five educational sessions and a minimum of two business counseling sessions. Ten were selected as semifinalists based on their submitted plans.

The Business Plan Competition is made possible by founding sponsors Capital One and The Alternative Board. Prize sponsors include Sales Mastery Consultants, Inc./Sandler Training, Solomon Bruce Consulting, ADvice, The Alternative Board and Stevie Dawn Inspires. Training sponsors are National Bank of Texas, Color Me Beautiful Image Consultants, Tarleton State University, @Work, Cowtown Graphics & Signs, Iron Egg and Kona Grill. Pitch Night was sponsored by BB&T, Bourland Wall & Wenzel and The University of Texas, College of Business. Support for the competition also is provided by the media sponsor, Fort Worth Business Press, City of Fort Worth, IDEA Works Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Moncrief Cancer Institute and BAC partners SCORE, Tarrant Small Business Development Center and the TCU Neeley School of Business MBA Program.

The Fort Worth Business Assistance Center (BAC) is a division of the City of Fort Worth and is also a 501c3 non-profit entity. The BAC provides free start-up counseling, business planning assistance, low-cost workshops on taxes, loans and more to entrepreneurs and small business owners. The BAC is located at 1150 South Freeway in Fort Worth.www.fwbac.com