Entrepreneurs who live in Bloomington, including Indiana University students, faculty and staff, are encouraged to apply for the five-month B-Start pre-accelerator program, which provides business development workshops, consultations with local experts and a pitch competition.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 22.
B-Start has graduated 18 companies through the program since it launched as an initiative of the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. in 2015. Several graduating companies have participated in other business-pitch competitions and formal accelerator programs and have raised additional capital.
In addition to expanding the program to nonstudents, B-Start will have a renewed focus on customer building and lean business models. It will also add a summer program for the highest-performing startup to offset costs and encourage continued development of the business after the program ends.
“B-Start gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to engage with the local business community and learn firsthand about how to build the foundation for a successful business in Bloomington,” said Dana Palazzo, vice president of the BEDC. “We have great momentum in our community, especially with the recent venture-funding announcement by local startup Cheddar. It’s an exciting time to be a startup in Bloomington.”
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