Biz Foundry partners with UC groups to offer CO.STARTERS program for entrepreneurs

COOKEVILLE – Entrepreneurship is getting a boost in the Upper Cumberland.

The Biz Foundry has partnered with the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD), USDA Rural Development and regional chambers of commerce to offer CO.STARTERS, a nationally acclaimed business model development program aimed to assist entrepreneurs in the region. The program will assist individuals starting a business or helping new businesses expand. Registration is open now, and the program will run from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 16–April 13 at The Biz Foundry, 140 W. 7th St., Cookeville.

CO.STARTERS was launched out of The Company Lab, a Chattanooga-based accelerator that offers programs, mentorship and resources to entrepreneurs. The program takes lessons learned from working with thousands of entrepreneurs and combines that knowledge with industry-changing startup methods drawn from the research and experience of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and business thought leaders across the country.

Small businesses remain one of the fundamental economic drivers for local economies and job creation, Biz Foundry officials say, but these smaller-scale startups have not received the same level of support as their high-growth counterparts. CO.STARTERS aims to narrow that gap.

The program runs for nine weeks, convening one evening a week for three hours. Course facilitators are seasoned entrepreneurs who are well connected in the business community. Throughout this business model discovery process, participants identify and test business assumptions through customer interactions, develop a functioning business model, learn valuable management and marketing skills, and receive constructive feedback from advisors, peers, and former program grads. At the end, each participant will have the tools, framework and momentum needed to make take their business idea to the next level.

CO.STARTERS will

The Biz Foundry is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization for small business start-ups in the UC. For more information on CO.STARTERS and registration, call (931) 210-5105 or visit www.thebizfoundry.org/costarters.

 

Liz Engel is the editor of the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. She can be reached at liz@ucbjournal.com

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