Whether you've been in business one day or one year, you may need capital. We work with numerous investors and funding sources to identify the right funding for your business start-up or expansion.
The Innovation Fund, founded by the Lorain County Community College Foundation (2007), is a regional fund focused on supporting technology-based entrepreneurial endeavors and emerging technology-based businesses. The Innovation Fund is supported and administered through a regional and state network of higher education, government and economic development partners to nurture a technology-based entrepreneurial environment for wealth creation and job growth in Northeast Ohio. NOTE: The Innovation Fund is on pause through the rest of 2024.
Kiva Zip is a non-profit crowdfunding platform that provides crowd-funded, 0% interest loans of up to $5,000 for any business purpose such as investing in new equipment, hiring staff, or launching a new product or service. Once approved, your company goes through a crowd-funding round on the Kiva Zip site, where lenders from around the world can contribute as little as $5 to your loan. For more information, see https://zip.kiva.org/borrow .
Although Microsoft doesn't actually provide capital, the free software available to software development startups can free up cash for use in other aspects of the business. Contact https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/startups for details and to apply.