SmallBusinessNewz

With over 10 million businesses owned by women in the United States, and representing ownership of over 40 percent of small businesses, Yahoo hopes to appeal to them to use its myriad services like website hosting and ecommerce for their business.

Right now Yahoo will go for brand awareness, courtesy of a Seeds for Success competition offering a trio of women entrepreneurs a passel of prizes. Winners receive cash and services from Yahoo, along with meetings with Kepcher, now of Finding What Matters, or fwm for the time-impaired.

Once Yahoo picks its three finalists, they will be judged over a six month period on how well they grow their ideas. The best of the lot receives more cash and more mentoring from Kepcher and other business types.

Yahoo has engaged in this type of promotion previously. Ivanka Trump took part in a 2007 promotion that bestowed a sizable search marketing budget and other Yahoo prizes in the Ultimate Connection contest.