SYRACUSE — An official with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is set to speak at the “Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs” event set for Sept. 8 at Syracuse University. Tameka Montgomery, the SBA’s associate administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development, will present keynote remarks at the program, which is free to attend, according to a […]
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SYRACUSE — An official with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is set to speak at the “Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs” event set for Sept. 8 at Syracuse University.
Tameka Montgomery, the SBA’s associate administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development, will present keynote remarks at the program, which is free to attend, according to a news release the SBA issued Aug. 25.
The event begins with a 4 p.m. networking session at the new Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library, followed by a 4:30 p.m. program in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons with the keynote speaker and an entrepreneur panel.
It concludes with a resource fair featuring Syracuse University campus and community organizations.
Registration is available online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inspiring-women-entrepreneurs-tickets-27079574737.
“Colleges and universities are recognizing the increasing interest that the millennial generation has in pursuing entrepreneurship as part of their college experience. We’re pleased to partner with Syracuse University and other sponsors to raise awareness for students about the resources available to help them realize their small business dreams,” Bernard J. Paprocki, director of the SBA Syracuse District, said in the release.
Montgomery, a presidential appointee, leads SBA programs that serve more than 1.5 million entrepreneurs and small businesses nationwide.
She oversees the SBA’s Office of Small Business Development Centers, the Office of Women’s Business Ownership, and the Office of Entrepreneurship Education, the agency said.
The SBA is cosponsoring the event with the Blackstone LaunchPad, New York Business Development Corporation, WISE Women’s Business Center, and the Syracuse Technology Garden.
SBIR tutorials
The SBA has also released its small business innovation research (SBIR) online tutorials to help small businesses navigate the SBIR program.
The agency provides users with a mobile-compatible site to learn about the program through a combination of videos and text, according to the SBA.
The platform will provide accessible program information and training resources to “underrepresented” areas.
The courses are open to all with no registration or fee required.
“We are excited to introduce these tutorials. We know there are many small businesses in rural communities as well as young entrepreneurs that are unaware of this amazing program,” Mark Walsh, SBA’s associate administrator for investment and innovation, said in an agency news release. “SBA has pulled together resources from across the federal government, providing them in a format easily accessible on mobile devices, while allowing users to select just the information they need.”
The SBIR and small-business technology transfer (STTR) programs, also called “America’s seed fund,” inject $2.5 billion every year into small, “innovative and nimble” firms across the nation.
The mission of each program is to support research and development (R&D) in technical areas that align with American priorities, and build a strong national economy to meet the pressing needs of the federal government.
The federal government currently has 11 agencies with SBIR/STTR programs.
“This new source should be invaluable to entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of our SBIR and STTR programs, which are the largest source of non-dilutive early stage R&D dollars available to small businesses,” said Walsh. “Further, these courses will help the SBA provide timely and accurate information about the programs to our entrepreneurs regardless of their geographic location or ability to attend one of our conferences or SBIR road-tour events.”
With 52 modules housed within 10 courses, the platform addresses topics “relevant” to small businesses that are new to the SBIR/STTR programs and companies that have previously received SBIR funding.
Topics include agency differences, registration requirements, SBIR data rights, accounting, and how to find partners.
The SBA is developing more topics or future tutorials. Tools, resources, links, and quizzes accompany each tutorial to help users navigate the process of applying for and winning federal awards.
The SBA provides more information on its online tutorials at www.sbir.gov/tutorials.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
