A new program launched by the Indiana Small Business Development Center and the Indiana University Kelley School of Business is designed to support the long-term economic recovery of Hoosier small businesses and entrepreneurs. Through this new partnership, eligible companies may apply for no-cost assistance to help establish or increase their online presence through website development, e-commerce support and other digital tools and services.
“As a state, we’re focused on encouraging long-term planning and investments to propel Indiana’s economy into the future,” Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger said. “With this new partnership, the Indiana SBDC will continue increasing its support for Hoosier small businesses and entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic, improving access to critical tools and resources to help companies adapt to new markets and enhance their competitiveness by growing their online presence.”
The Indiana SBDC and the Kelley School launched Project HOPE to support Indiana small businesses negatively affected by COVID-19. Under the program, Kelley students and recent graduates are offered paid internships to assist eligible companies in expanding their online presence, solving technology issues or providing new digital capabilities. The projects, which include creating or modifying websites, building e-commerce platforms, improving cybersecurity frameworks, migrating data, and more, are overseen by faculty members and completed within two weeks.
To date, more than 75 student interns have participated in Project HOPE, providing more than 8,000 hours of direct technical support to 97 small businesses in 28 counties.
To qualify, Indiana small businesses must meet the following criteria:
- Be an Indiana SBDC client,
- Have been in business as of February 15, 2020, and
- Be able to demonstrate a negative impact from COVID-19.