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Community Investment Fund of Indiana
The Community Investment Fund of Indiana (CIFI) is a statewide, certified development financial institution (cdfi) that works with banks, local initiatives, and other community partners to fill gaps in flexible financing offerings. Our purpose is to generate positive change by expanding financial opportunities for low to moderate-income individuals and underserved communities. CIFI provides technical assistance and capital (through loans) to small businesses throughout Indiana. Portfolio companies include startups as well as existing companies, which may be focusing on growth, needing equipment, facility financing or restructuring their balance sheet. Visit our website and select the Borrower’s tab and fill out the application.
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Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne/Warsaw
The Entrepreneurship Program at Ivy Tech Fort Wayne offers students practical lessons in business start-up and management with interactive business plans, marketing strategies and community mentorship. Through the New Venture Competition, the campus awards up to $40,000 to the best entrepreneur to bring their dreams to reality. To date, the entrepreneurship program and New Venture Competition have assisted in the launch of many business ventures across northeast Indiana in industries from automotive, to culinary, to fashion, to manufacturing.
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Elevate Origins
Elevate Origins Pre-Seed and Seed Programs provide virtual group learning, one-on-one coaching and live pitch practice to startups. The Elevate Origins Pre-Seed Program is specifically for startups that have not yet generated revenue. Aspiring entrepreneurs who may not have a business idea yet, or instructors of entrepreneurship classes that are looking to supplement their classwork with institutional investor-designed programming, are also encouraged to participate and will find value in the content.
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Elevate Nexus
Elevate Nexus provides resources and thought leadership to Indiana higher-education institutions and the entrepreneurs they engage. Elevate Nexus Pitch Competitions offer promising startups, preferably engaged with Elevate Nexus partnered colleges and universities, the opportunity to secure foundational capital needed to launch their businesses. $2.3M is awarded each year through pitch competitions.
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gener8tor
gBETA is a program of nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor. gBETA is a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots. Each program is capped at five teams, and requires no fees and no equity.
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Indiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)
Indiana PTAC works directly with Indiana small businesses in obtaining and performing under federal, state, and local government contracts. We provide procurement technical assistance to help you sell your products or services to the appropriate government agency by offering confidential counseling services and workshops at no cost. The core of our procurement assistance program is counseling and education.
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1970
Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center provides no cost consulting services to potential business owners that want to start a business and to existing business owners that want to expand their businesses.
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SEED Fort Wayne
SEED is a 501c(3) that supports new and scaling businesses with business planning education through the Build Institute, incubation space for manufacturing and B2B professionals at the SEED Enterprise Center, and tax benefits for businesses located within the Summit City Entrepreneur and Enterprise District (SEED).
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Build Institute Powered by SEED
The Build Institute Fort Wayne is a nine-week basic business education program for early-stage startups. The Institute helps you identify and hone strengths and develop meaningful connections with like-minded individuals and organizations.
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Northeast Indiana Innovation Center
The NIIC’s mission is to fuel great ideas, people and companies. Our vision is to grow and inspire global business builders. We move business builders confidently in the direction of achieving their dreams.
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SCORE Northeast Indiana
The volunteer mentors of SCORE Northeast Indiana offer free expert, experienced one-to-one business mentoring and local workshops on important business topics. SCORE is a national organization with the mission of fostering vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. Our vision is that every person has the support necessary to thrive as a small business owner.
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212 Creative Network
212 is a creative network, connecting creatives to the resources and knowledge they need to turn ideas into opportunities regardless of geographic or economic limitations. We believe that everyone has the right to create and pursue their creative work professionally. Through the creative network that powers 212, we provide access to the resources, knowledge and industry connectivity needed to take your creative work to the next level. From ideation to development and production, 212 is art made possible through a more open and equitable creative world.
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Elevate Northeast Indiana
The entrepreneurial journey is a journey filled with many twists and turns that have the potential to squash brilliant ideas. At Elevate Northeast Indiana, we give high-growth entrepreneurs a clear path to the potential investment they need to move toward extraordinary levels of growth.
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WEOC
WEOC’s mission is to help women-owned and led founders to start, grow and scale their businesses and ventures. Our vision is to be known as the most trusted business building resource in Northeast Indiana for women-owned businesses.
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Elevate Ventures
Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-growth businesses into high-performing, Indiana-based companies. Elevate Ventures accomplishes this by providing access to capital, rigorous business analysis and robust advisory services that connect companies with the right mix of resources businesses need to succeed long term. To learn more about Elevate Ventures, visit elevateventures.com.
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The Penta Minority Entrepreneurial Center
The Mission is to implement programs, and procedures that maximize the inclusion of minority owned businesses as part of the community. The Vision is to maximize opportunities to identify, educate, and develop minorities.
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