B-Start, a pre-accelerator program to help launch for-profit innovation-driven businesses in Bloomington, is taking applications for its next cohort.

B-Start participants are at the earliest stage of their business development and are coached through a 5-month process of mentorship and group activities to build a foundation for accelerating the growth of their startups. Click here for the tentative 2020-21 program schedule.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. Click here to apply.

The Indiana Small Business Development Center and Indiana University Kelley School of Business are offering a no-cost technology consulting service to small businesses with the goal of establishing or increasing their online presence and/or creating digital capabilities. 

Eligible companies may apply for no-cost assistance to help establish or increase their online presence through website development, e-commerce support and other digital tools and services. Under this Project HOPE program, Kelley students and recent graduates are offered paid internships to assist small businesses in solving technology issues or providing new digital capabilities. Projects include creating or modifying websites, building e-commerce platforms, improving cybersecurity frameworks, migrating data, and more. 

Indiana small businesses can submit applications online here. For more information, contact Troy Phelps, Assistant Director for Ivy Tech Bloomington’s Gayle & Bill Cook Center For Entrepreneurship, at tphelps13@ivytech.edu. The South Central Indiana SBDC is housed at Ivy Tech Bloomington.

Over 150 companies have been helped so far, with more than 80 in the pipeline. The project engages with 40 new clients every two weeks and will be continuing this level of engagement through the rest of 2020.