Resource Directory

Did you know over $4 billion in federal research and development (R&D) funding each year supports innovative entrepreneurs building out high-risk, next generation technologies? America’s Seed Fund has become an important resource for a wide range of startups, researchers, and innovators working on big ideas but lacking access to capital.

Background- America’s Seed Fund, better known to some as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, has been around for almost 40 years. The programs span 11 federal agencies with significant external R&D budgets, a percentage of which provides early stage funding to roughly 5,000 small businesses a year.

The two programs are coordinated by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), who is charged with helping small businesses start and grow. SBA’s Office of Innovation and Technology sets the guiding policy across the SBIR/STTR agencies, provides training and outreach, and most notably, funds and supports organizations within the innovation ecosystem to build the SBIR/STTR pipeline. Potential applicants benefit from specialized assistance and mentoring, and we work with a variety of entities to ensure access regardless of geography.

How Does it Work - SBIR/STTR funding is designed to explore new, innovative ideas, not products currently ready to go to market. The programs provide rather broad opportunities for small businesses to access capital when they are not a fit for investment or financing due to the early nature of their technologies. The two programs have the same base structure and goals with a fundamental difference in eligibility, as the STTR program requires a specific level of participation from a nonprofit research institution. Both programs allow small businesses to compete for cash awards in a wide range of technology areas: from space exploration to biomedical products, advanced robotics to ag-tech, energy to artificial intelligence, national security, and more. Some of the big names (that started out small in the program) include Qualcomm, Symantec, 23&Me, iRobot, and Ilumina.

Why are we reaching out to WBCs
- Goal of the programs to increase participation from women and minority entrepreneurs
- Women’s Study: https://www.nwbc.gov/2020/08/12/womens-inclusion-in-small-business-innovation-research-small-business-technology-transfer-programs/

What can SBA provide?
- Training and funding for SBIR support organizations: www.sbir.gov/support-organizations

GrowthWheel® is a Business Advisory System used by small business advisors from around the world to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
We offer a business advisory Training Program, a ready-to-use Business Tool Library, and an Online Platform to collaborate with clients.

The tools help advisors and business owners focus on what matters most through a 360° view of the company.

GrowthWheel was founded in 2005 on the idea that there had to be an alternative to the conventional business plan, a better way to support the conversations that all companies have about starting and growing their business.

Today, GrowthWheel is used by more than 4,300+ business advisors, incubator managers, and entrepreneurship educators in 49 US states and 69 countries around the world.

Are you looking for an all-in-one solution to take your entrepreneurship program to the next level? Look no further than the Centro Community Partners Entrepreneurship Suite!
Our Entrepreneurship Suite, or E-Suite, is an innovative all-in-one entrepreneurship training methodology that provides a collection of training, technical assistance, curriculum, and resources tailored for organizations that lead, want to launch, or improve their entrepreneurship programs to support their community.
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- * Ask us about having a certified Centro Trainer host and facilitate a workshop for your
community at no additional cost! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

DreamBuilder is a free online learning program developed for women who want to start or grow their own small business. Available in English and Spanish.
Dreambuilder shows the step-by-step framework for launching or own a small business. Best for entrepreneurs ready to start their own business, or those who already own a business and want to develop their skills in a variety of areas, or are in various stages of exploring growth.
Understanding that investing in women’s full economic participation helps to create healthier, more stable communities, the company committed to developing a groundbreaking training program to form women entrepreneurs.

Freeport-McMoRan partnered with Thunderbird School of Global Management, a world leader in international management education, to create a top-notch curriculum for DreamBuilder that would teach women the fundamentals for owning their own business. They also partnered with Bluedrop Performance Learning to take the curriculum and develop an innovative and engaging online program.

Today, DreamBuilder offers business education and training to thousands of women all over the world.

Hello Alice enables business for all, connecting people of color, women, veterans, and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit with relevant capital, networks, and tools to grow. We deploy grants of $10k+ to small business owners across the country, provide hundreds of online guides on topics ranging from choosing the right business structure to writing a business plan, and host events with experts who can share insights like growing a small business.

The IGNITE 360® Business Mentoring Program is an activities based, outcome driven program designed to help Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) manage a sustainable, structured business mentoring program that will facilitate measurable growth for clients, offer in-depth support to second stage businesses, improve volunteer engagement and generate program income to support the WBC.

The tiered programming provides support for every stage of a business’s lifecycle. In this way, IGNITE 360® offers a natural growth cycle for clients to stay engaged with your center year after year.

This highly customizable program can be used to accelerate sustainable business growth for emerging and second-stage companies across all industries. However, this is a fee-for-service WBC program with a significant vetting process to ensure clients are ready to commit to do the work and be held accountable.

The vetting process and accountability metrics ensure that clients achieve measurable growth while participating in the program. It also provides a positive volunteer experience for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), allowing them to offer meaningful support to clients in a structured environment, where their time is valued.

Clients often go on to become WBC advocates, donors, mentors and even board members. Many mentors become long-term advisors to the clients they serve, and become key partners for the WBC, generating client and donor referrals.

The IGNITE 360® Model was designed and trademarked by weVENTURE WBC at Florida Institute of Technology and has graduated 140 clients since 2014. weVENTURE WBC averages 20 clients a year and program graduates see an average of 40% growth in revenue upon completion. 93% of IGNITE 360® graduates created new jobs upon completion. The positive outcomes IGNITE 360® clients experience are utilized in community outreach, helping showcase the dramatic impact the WBC and female entrepreneurs have in our local economy.

Tiered Program To Meet Client Needs

IGNITE 360® PATHWAYS walks aspiring entrepreneurs through the start-up process, laying a solid foundation for their business to grow on. (3 months)
IGNITE 360® TRANSITION is a mentoring program for business owners ready to focus on strategy and business fundamentals to gain a strong foundation for growth or change. (3 months)
IGNITE 360® ADVANTAGE is a unique mentoring program developed for emerging businesses that are committed to growth. (6 months)
IGNITE 360® PREMIER is for experienced second-stage companies that are focused on transformational activities that include but is not limited to management changes, exit strategies, or expansion. (6 months)

Whether your clients are starting, running, or growing their business, LivePlan is designed with their success in mind. LivePlan simplifies business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance tracking for small businesses and startups.

- Quickly understand your client's business
- Create a fundable business plan using a proven template
- Reduce your time spent on forecasting by 70 percent
- Know how your client's numbers stack up against the competition
- Advise strategically every month and help your clients grow their business

Marian Doub Consulting (MDC) Team
• 10+ years of organizational capacity building facilitating the design, build, and use of high-integrity data systems for monitoring and improving program results and client outcomes with small business development and community-based economic and asset development practitioner and intermediary agencies.
• Consults extensively with the staff and organizational members of the California WBC Network, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC), NeighborWorks America’s Success Measures Evaluation Services, California Association for Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), and, previously, the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunity Program.
• Ongoing Evaluation, Knowledge and Data System management consulting with NALCAB and California Women’s Business Center (WBC) Network members.
Marian Doub, Principal: 25+ years as a nationally respected practical visionary, manager and results-oriented administrator with over 100 public, nongovernmental, non-profit agencies, and grassroots organizations.
Jim Wood, Data System Analyst, Developer and Communications subcontractor: has been consulting for a wide range of nonprofit organizations to create effective information management systems and solutions since 2010.
Additional team members provide data analysis and visualization, content expertise, and project management as needed.

Neoserra is a CRM system designed specifically for SBA-funded programs. Neoserra lets you track clients and your activities with these clients, such as counseling activity, or training activity or capital funding activity. The really nice thing about Neoserra is that everything is organized in one place, easily accessible and easily reportable, and that includes your client files such as their 641 forms, their business plans, financial statements and other relevant information. Also included in the client file are survey responses, sticky notes and calendar appointments. Everything in one place means that you’ll see where everything is and understand what everyone’s working on. But perhaps the best part of Neoserra is its integration with eCenter Direct. eCenter Direct is a client portal that lets your clients complete an online 641 application and sign up for training events. Together these two products will help improve your communications with your clients and streamline your operations.

VistaShare has served Women’s Business Centers since 2004 with Outcome Tracker, a cloud-based platform that helps you serve clients both remotely and in-person, customize for local needs, and report on your results.

Outcome Tracker customizable portals and forms enable you to engage remotely with clients via their computer, tablet, or phone. Clients can:
- Inquire online
- Complete the 641 online
- Electronic Signature for the 641 and other forms/documents
- Self-enroll in classes and workshops
- Complete surveys
- Securely upload documents, such as business plans and financial statements
- View video resources and download documents
- Receive messages from you via email or text message

When counselors are able to visit clients on-site, they can use a tablet to access and enter client information. Outcome Tracker’s client pages adapt to the size of the screen.

Beyond your standard SBA data needs, Outcome Tracker enables you to configure fields, forms, tabs, reports and more for your local needs. It is all integrated with the rest of your client data.

Using Outcome Tracker’s reporting tool, you can slice and dice your data using queries, crosstab tables, and charts. View key dashboard reports on your homepage and download chart images for use in slides or documents.

Serve your clients remotely or in person. Customize for local needs. Report on your results. Contact us to learn more.

Let us guide you to the next level of business success with our newest online tool, The Library. The
Library contains a series of training videos on an array of topics that aim to support small business
owners and entrepreneurs by providing education, training, and resources.