02.18.20
2020 NIIC Events Offer Practical Insights for Region’s Entrepreneurs
Tammy Allen, Director | Marketing & Programs, The NIIC
For Immediate Release
February 18, 2020, Fort Wayne, Ind. — Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020, The NIIC (Northeast Indiana Innovation Center) will offer a range of workshops and events to educate, train, and connect the entrepreneurial community. The line-up includes focused insights for the biosciences and tech sectors, female founders, and traditionally disadvantaged small-business owners. Event information is available at theniic.net/our-events.
A highlight of the coming year will be the annual IDEAS@WORK Entrepreneurial Movement on April 21, 2020. Each year this event convenes innovators, business builders, and community leaders at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation to celebrate and recognize the spirit of entrepreneurship in Northeast Indiana.
New this year, NIIC Connected Health Lab offers Third Thursday Connections. These include a mix of panel discussions, presentations, and workshops with networking. These events convene entrepreneurs, healthcare innovators, and investment groups, to discuss issues around connected health, also known as health IoT (Internet of Things).
Karen Stahl, Director of Business Development, Moake Park Group, Inc., has attended several workshops offered through WEOC (Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center) and the NIIC. “I have found great value in the information and topics presented. The staff does an amazing job putting these events together and the presenters always have great insight. The knowledge gained from these events is actionable and I expand my network through discussions with other participants. We are fortunate to have NIIC and WEOC in our community and for all they do to support women business owners and small businesses.”
WEOC continues Caffeinated Conversations Series this year to connect business builders with local business experts to discuss advice about their ventures. WEOC and 1st Source Bank continue collaboration on a leadership series of invitation-only events. SCORE Northeast Indiana and WEOC are co-sponsoring events around digital aspects of business building.
The NIIC is committed to removing barriers for all individuals striving to develop and grow their businesses. This year, The NIIC will offer a series of programs to help disadvantaged small business owners, including minorities and the disabled, to pursue business-building loans and equity funding. These programs are funded in part by grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration Program for Investment in Micro entrepreneurs.
About The NIIC
467 new products launched, 189 patent applications submitted or granted, and 2,290 jobs created—that is what entrepreneurs have achieved through The NIIC since its inception two decades ago. The NIIC has also connected Northeast Indiana companies to attract $91 million in grants and capital.
The NIIC is a non-profit, vibrant entrepreneurial community designed to advise entrepreneurs to plan, launch, and grow successful business ventures. The NIIC bolsters innovative companies to move ideas into action. The NIIC is located in a designated U.S. Small Business Administration HUB Zone. In April 2018, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb designated The Northeast Indiana Innovation Park Campus as an Opportunity Zone through the U.S. Treasury. The NIIC is the country’s only ISO9001:2015 registered business incubation and acceleration program. TheNIIC.org. Click here for The NIIC press kit.
About WEOC
2,354 women and immigrants served, trained, and counseled—since WEOC’s formation five years ago. The Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Center (WEOC) serves Northeast Indiana women at all stages of their business ventures. WEOC responds to the unique needs of women entrepreneurs through business growth coaching, training, and entrepreneurial education, connectivity and access to capital. WEOC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. As the Host organization, The NIIC also provides supplemental funding and complementary resources. WEOC is an SBA designated Women’s Business Center—one of two in Indiana. For more information, visit www.inweoc.com.
