Another government funded organization to help entrepreneurs is the SBDC. Small Business Development Centers are generally hosted by colleges and Universities around the country. The SBDC has several free workshops and also at-cost training. There are many success stories behind the SBDC, and you can be next. The SBDC is another wealth of information for would be entrepreneurs. A few local Universities have an SBDC. Temple University, Widener University and Lehigh University.

Located in the Free Library of Philadelphia, the BRIC offers many free or low-cost resources and programs for the entrepreneur. Further, the Free Library of Philadelphia is one of three Patent and Trademark Resource Centers in the state of Pennsylvania.

Located in the Science Center, which was founded in 1963 to support innovation, Quorum offers free programs to connect investors to entrepreneurs. Quorum has several signature programs available and a drop-in space to work and connect.

Dealing with laws and setting up businesses legally can also pose considerable challenges to the up and coming business owner.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL LAW CLINIC

The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic provides experience for students going to law school to assist entrepreneurs in their need for legal advice. The students work with the director of the program and advisory board members to assist businesses in items ranging from entity formations, leases and contracts.

Show me the money!

Many entrepreneurs wrestle on how to get funding for their business. The lists provided here are simply for information to research. They do provide potential funding streams, but all require some work from you! Additionally, some incubators or accelerators have a cost associated with them, therefore, check the fine print! Some even require an equity stake in the company, so best to check with the free law services before you sign on to anything.

There are many other funding streams available to the entrepreneur that are business specific. Some investors are experts in the health care field and others focus on technology startups. Spending the time to research and finding a match for your business is well worth the effort.

Here are a few examples.

• DREAMIT
  DREAMIT has provided startups with access to potential investors in health technology, security technology, and real estate and construction technologies.
• Ben Franklin Technology Partner
  Over the past 30 years Ben Franklin Tech Partners has launched more than 1,000 companies and invested millions in expanding the landscape of Information technology in the area.

Additional investors.

• First Round Capital
  While mostly based in California, they have made some investments on the East Coast.
• FedEx Small Business Grant Contest
  FedEx not only 'delivers', but they may deliver your startup funding. There are some things to do to apply for this one, but it might be worth exploring.

For more information about our upcoming offerings in Entrepreneurship, please e-mail, Dr. Eric Wellington, Dean, Business at wellinge@neumann.edu