The Ignite Erie Industry+University Collaborative offers many resources for entrepreneurs.
Innovation Beehive Network
The Innovation Beehive Network offers entrepreneurship support services at all of Erie County's universities and through it the Idea Lab at Blasco Library at little to no cost to the entrepreneur.
Services include:
- Product design and rapid prototyping assistance through Penn State Behrend's Innovation Commons.
- Business planning support through Gannon University's Beehive node. For information, contact Kristen Bires.
- Marketing and branding through Edinboro University's Beehive, the Center for Branding and Strategic Communications. For information, contact Tony Peyronel.
- Business Intelligence support through Mercyhurst University's Beehive node. For information, contact Brad Gleason.
- Open makerspace access at Blasco Library's Idea Lab.
Have questions about any of these services? You can contact Jake Marsh at Penn State Behrend.
Ready to get started? Fill out the Innovation Beehive Network's entry form to be connected to all of the Beehive sites.
Quickstarter Teams
Quickstarter is a proven high-throughput, rapid turnaround program that brings teams of Erie County undergraduate students together to help entrepreneurs design and launch successful crowd-funding campaigns through sites such as Kickstarter. In 2014 only 36% of all Kickstarter campaigns met their fundraising goals. However, the success rate of projects meeting their funding goals rises to 90% with application of the Quickstarter method. These projects are fast-paced but brief in duration, providing experience for students without overly disrupting their academic studies.
If you have a working prototype of your product and are interested in pursuing crowd-funding, this program could be an ideal fit for you. If your application is accepted, Ignite Erie will pay the $2,500 cost of Quickstarter.
Legal Assistance
Often, those engaged in innovation can stumble over legal issues. Early legal counsel can be instrumental in setting up corporation, researching intellectual property options and/or obstacles, or managing legal mistakes. Small grants are available to aid entrepreneurs in these areas when the need arises. Email Jake Marsh.