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The Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center, located in the Southern Illinois Research Park, is a regional hub for coordinating entrepreneurship development activity, building on the infrastructure of the Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC), the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC), International Trade Centers (ITC) and NAFTA Opportunity Centers, the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center Network (ITEC) and the Manufacturing Extension Center Network (IMEC).
The mission of the Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center is
“To encourage the entrepreneurial spirit to stimulate growth in Southern Illinois.”
The Entrepreneurship Center serves as an umbrella organization to facilitate the interaction between entrepreneurs and existing resources. In addition to providing in-depth assistance and accelerated services to entrepreneurs, the Center will strive to promote an entrepreneurial culture throughout the region.
The Center works with entrepreneurs and small businesses in the following growth stages:
| • | Start-Up/Emerging (1 - 18 months) |
| • | Growth/Expansion (18 months - 3 years) |
| • | Mature/Prosperous (4 - 7+ years) |
| • | Transition/Exit |
The Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center provides the following services:
| • | Coordinate support services for clients that address gaps and limitations in client's current operations. |
| • | Conduct business assessments that identify gaps and limitations in the client's current operation. |
| • | Provide business coaching services to assist clients in developing professional funding pitches for investor meetings. |
| • | Provide advanced financial assistance and planning including determining capital needs and making investor introductions. |
| • | Provide targeted accelerated services for clients that have high growth potential. |
| • | Host quarterly Entrepreneurial Networking Forums for clients to pitch their business idea. |
The Center is located in the Southern Illinois Research Park located in Carbondale, Illinois next to Southern Illinios University Carbondale. The Research Park is home to the Office of Economic and Regional Development as well as the SIUC Small Business Incubator.
COPYRIGHT 2005 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER