SBA Award Presented

CHAMPAIGN—Today, SBA Regional Administrator Marianne Markowitz visited Champaign to present $100,000 total in awards, including $50,000 to the City, one of SBA’s 28 Startup in a Day winners, and $50,000 to EnterpriseWorks, one of Illinois’ four Growth Accelerator Fund Competition winners. These awards will help boost Champaign-Urbana-area small business growth and economic development by supporting the collaboration of government offices, educational institutions and public-private partnerships.

EnterpriseWorks received a $50,000 to help fund its successful I-Start program, which accelerates the technology commercialization process for university startups with access to various resources in their ­first year. Since the Growth Accelerator Fund’s inception in 2014, more than 5,100 jobs have been created or sustained, more than 1,450 startups have been served and approximately $600 million of capital has been raised by the startups.

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