The U.S. Small Business Administration announced Aug. 5 that the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center’s Jump Start Diversity (JSD) will receive a $50,000 grant for their Food Accelerator IDEA (Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship Accelerator).
The grant comes as part of the Growth Accelerator Fund competition, which attracted applications from across the country. Finalists were reviewed by a panel of experts in entrepreneurship, investing and business plans from both within the government and the private sector. Kutztown University is one of 80 grant recipients. This is the second consecutive year that the KU SBDC has been awarded this grant. KU is one of only two grant winners awarded in Pennsylvania.
IDEA will offer a program that allows established food companies to scale more efficiently. Ten minority or women-owned businesses in the Greater Reading area with sales of $50,000 or more will be selected. Participants will receive training in innovation and creativity in the food industry, product development, technology trends, packaging and labeling, package design, trade shows, nutrition, international trade and wholesale distribution.
Specialized consultants will be available to support the growth of the business. The program will also receive support from strategic partners such as National Penn Bank, who developed a microloan program for up to $10,000.
The video application for the project can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/132948499. For further information contact Ernie Post, director, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center at 484-792-1028 or post@kutztown.edu.