Washington State University Vancouver’s Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program (MAP) has received a $125,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The grant will fund the expansion and next phase of Business Growth MAP Alliance to include a software/technology cohort starting in January 2016.
The MAP Alliance started last year as a series of monthly forums on topics relevant to small business. The forums bring entrepreneurs and small businesses together with peers, faculty and business experts. The Alliance represents an expansion of Business Growth MAP, which provides student-led, pro-bono consulting projects for small businesses in the region.
Business Growth MAP now plans to create sector-specific cohorts as an extension of the Alliance to help businesses accelerate growth and positively impact the region. The software/technology cohort will be the first.
“The software and technology sector is growing in our region,” said Jane Cote, academic director in the Carson College of Business, in a press release. “In 2013, the state designated the greater Vancouver area as an Innovation Partnership Zone for applied digital technology. The city has helped foster the growth of tech firms and we’re seeing the results. In addition, regional economic development leaders see this as a burgeoning sector. It makes sense to do our first cohort with this industry cluster.”
With the help of the grant, the MAP Alliance software/technology cohort will combine proven business principles with expertise to further the growth of software/technology businesses in the region. Cohort participants will meet twice a month for four months on the WSU Vancouver campus. Sessions will include education, hands-on experience, mentoring, shared learning, networking and establishing a resource network.
Details about session content and participation in the cohort are currently in development. For more information, contact Mistie Josephson, Business Growth MAP manager, at 360.546.9533 or bgmap@vancouver.wsu.edu.
