The Erie community came together today to celebrate local innovators who’ve successfully made the leap from start-up to up-and-running.
Nearly 30 companies either received or paid funds forward to contribute to new startups, totaling an amount of more than $9.4 million.
Investments were contributed by local and regional entrepreneurial support resources helping to drive the entrepreneurial ecosystem and economic impact of our region, including Ben Franklin Technology Partners / Central & Northern PA; the Hartman Innovation Fund in partnership with Ben Franklin Technology Partners and The Erie Community Foundation; Erie Technology Incubator and Small Business Development Center at Gannon University; Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership; Erie County Redevelopment Authority and Underdog Small Business Fund.
These partners came together at today’s event to celebrate the success of the companies to which they’ve contributed valuable funding, expertise and mentoring that has supported the development of new products and processes in many local startups.
The success of each of the companies recognized at the event either resulted in a sale or merger or created the opportunity for the funding organizations’ original investments to be repaid and the dollars re-deployed into our community. Emerging startups were then able to receive funding as a result.
