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TechStart Fund Launched For Start-ups

January 10, 2012 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

Today, we got this heads-up from our friends at Connecticut Innovations and I thought I would share it with you.

Connecticut Innovations today launched the TechStart Fund, which was created to spur technology innovation at its very earliest stage. TechStart provides entrepreneurial or student teams with initial capital so they can determine whether a technology concept and business is viable and whether future funding can be obtained to launch a new business. Teams will participate in an initial 10-week pilot program during which they will be provided with mentors and professional resources offering strategic guidance in launching a new business.

At the conclusion of this initial program, each team should have a prototype or market-ready product, be ready to launch a company and be prepared to make a pitch to investors for funding.

The 10-week pilot program will be held at CTech@Science Park at Yale in New Haven and will begin in March 2012. The application deadline for that session is February 22, 2012. Online Application are Available. For additional information about the TechStart Fund, click here.

Small Businesses Apply for New State Help

December 19, 2011 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

Help is on the way for small businesses in Connecticut.  The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) has been touring the state for the last several months to promote all of the various small business programs the state has initiated through the special legislative session held this past October.  The Jobs Session produced legislation geared to helping small business grow and create jobs here in Connecticut.

Peter Lent, Assistant Executive Director at DECD gives an update on the Reinventing CT Workshops held to date.

The DECD Reinventing Connecticut Workshops have been well attended and have given hope to the Connecticut small business community.  This excitement was clear when DECD’s commissioner, Catherine Smith, said in an AP press report last Friday that her office had received 95 applications for the state’s new small business assistance program and that she expects more will be filed. [Read more...]

Opportunities For Veterans To Become Entrepreneurs

November 11, 2011 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

In honor of Veterans Day, CBIA would like to say thanks to the brave men and women of all the armed services divisions who have made a sacrifice to defend our country and the lands of our allies.  However, for many returning veterans, it has been tough to find employment even though a few of these individuals have managed and operated some of the most sophisticated machinery and equipment ever developed.

According to Entrepreneur.com  in recent months, President Barack Obama has proposed a number of measures to ease the transition to civilian life, including tax credits for employers hiring veterans and programs for helping veterans become more competitive in the civilian workforce. The federal government also expanded the GI Bill program to include vocational training and other non-degree job-training programs for veterans.

For some returning service men and women, what the U.S. military has taught them in terms of communication and leadership skills can easily be transfered into becoming a small business entrepreneur and there are some incentives for returning vets who have a great idea and want to start their own businesses. [Read more...]

Gov. Malloy Announces Launch Of Startup Connecticut

October 6, 2011 By Adam Ney Leave a Comment

Connecticut entrepreneurs got some good news this morning when Governor Dannel P. Malloy joined with business leaders to announce the launch of Startup Connecticut, a new initiative that will help to reinvent Connecticut by assisting high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the state.  Startup Connecticut will be part of a national network of state and regional efforts coordinated by the Startup America Partnership, the national organization working to help young companies grow in order to create jobs in the country.  Connecticut becomes the third state in the nation to adopt its own regional initiative.

“Connecticut has always had a reputation as the home to innovative companies, technologies and workers,” said Governor Malloy in a press release.  “But in recent years, people have begun to wonder if Connecticut’s best days are behind it.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In finding new and innovative ways to compete in a 21st century economy, we also have to find new ways to reinvent Connecticut.  I believe we have yet to effectively harness our potential to create new companies, help those already here, and maximize the job creation potential of both.  The launching of Startup Connecticut will give us a series of coordinated efforts to improve our track record now.” [Read more...]