Founders get chance to be matched with Hollywood star for business boost

Small business owners will get the chance to be matched with a Hollywood star for mentoring and win a £7,500 grant as part of a new global campaign.

Eva Longoria is the face of a programme run by tech giant Lenovo aimed at connecting like-minded entrepreneurs through business “twinning”.

A select number of founders will benefit from mentorship and a boost to their profile from the American actress, businesswoman and investor.

Small businesses from the UK, US, Japan and Mexico can apply to win 10,000 US dollars (£7,490) worth of grant funding, artificial intelligence-powered devices and mentoring through the cross-border initiative, named Backing Every Business.

The 12 winners will be paired up across industries and countries in a bid to plug a “support gap” that Lenovo said many smaller firms face.

Lenovo, which is based in Hong Kong and makes electronics including laptops and PCs, said twinning matches entrepreneurs facing similar challenges to help them solve problems and learn from each other.

It has partnered with Longoria for the campaign who, alongside her acting career, has a number of business ventures including as the part-owner of Mexican football club Club Necaxa and involvement in women’s club Angel City FC.

Longoria said being an entrepreneur was “one of the hardest, most daring things you can do” and that “entire communities benefit” when founders get support.

Applicants for the competition must have fewer than 250 employees and have generated less than 50 million US dollars in revenue and raised less than three million US dollars of investment capital.

Winners will be chosen by an independent group of judges after applications close on April 15.