IN THE NEWS: SourceFunding.org Selected Forbes Editors' Pick - “Funding Platform Aims To 'Level The Playing Field' For Small Business”

NEW YORK CITY (March 31, 2018) - SourceFunding.org was highlighted by Forbes in the feature “A New Funding Platform Aims To 'Level The Playing Field' For Small Business.”

https://t.co/D46po0UIbC

— Forbes (@Forbes) September 24, 2018

Excerpt via Forbes:: “Michael Short was only a few years out of college when he learned first hand about the problems small-business owners, especially those serving low-income neighborhoods, have finding capital to help them grow. After graduating from Syracuse University, he was selected to serve in the university's Engagement Scholars program. Funded in part by the Kauffman Foundation, engagement fellows are charged with tackling thorny development problems from new perspectives. Short ended up working in one of Syracuse's bleakest neighborhoods, supporting the growth of small business owners.”

"All of them were long-standing businesses," Short told me when I met him on the campus of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn one day earlier in March, "but they were isolated." Meanwhile, he said, community groups offered businesses "a multitude of loan programs, whether it's to buy abandoned buildings, or to do manufacturing," or for a variety of other specific purposes. But these organizations were isolated, too. "The way they're funded, on grants, makes them competitors, not collaborators — they don't refer to each other," Short continued. If you're a business owner, "you're really on your own. It's impossible to get the full picture."

#Smallbusiness #loan brokers for online lenders are many, but what SourceFunding is doing is much harder, because the banks, credit unions, and nonprofit in its network are not nearly so automated. https://t.co/EZFU2JoJis

— Robb Mandelbaum (@RobbMandelbaum) March 31, 2018

"In 2014, research by Karen Mills, former administrator of the Small Business Administration under President Obama, confirmed what Short found on the ground [as a Syracuse University Community Engagement Scholar, and later as a social entrepreneur, helping underserved small businesses in a community with the highest levels of poverty concentration among African- & Latino- Americans].”

"There's a disconnect," Short said, "between lenders who say they can't find qualified applicants, and the credit-worthy businesses going from lender to lender and can't find a loan." That year he decided to launch SourceFunding.org as a nationwide resource for small businesses. “If you're a business owner, you're really on your own,” Short explained. “It's impossible to get the full picture of [every funding opportunity & what's the best match]."

"In January, Short, who is 31, launched a national platform intended to provide that big picture — especially for underserved businesses, like those owned by women and minorities, who find it disproportionately harder to borrow money. Over the last four years, his company SourceFunding.org has painstakingly collected data on loan programs and application requirements from some 14,000 institutions nationwide, including small community banks, credit unions, local economic aid groups known as community development financial institutions, and other nonprofit lenders."

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About SourceFunding.org

SourceFunding.org provides an easy, safe and secure online system for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations in the U.S. to apply for low-cost financing from high-quality community lenders using the nation’s first universal small business loan application process.

SourceFunding.org was launched as an inclusive, transparent and low-cost alternative to the rapidly growing number of predatory online lenders and predatory online loan brokers. The financial technology platform’s unprecedented Responsible Finance Network includes over 14,000 trusted community banks, non-profit lenders, credit unions and CDFIs in the U.S.

Highlighted for economic impact at the White House and for socially responsible "FinTech Innovation" in the Business & Management Review, the university, foundation and investor-backed SourceFunding.org is leveling the playing field for ALL entrepreneurs in the U.S. so they can easily find and secure the quality business financing to expand and create jobs. 

SourceFunding.org Builds on Collaboration with Prestigious Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University

Photo Credit: Syracuse University

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK (March 6, 2018) - Building on long-standing collaborative efforts and initiatives with Syracuse University, providing over 150 graduate & undergraduate students to date with engaged and experiential scholarship opportunities, SourceFunding.org continues to develop its social enterprise business model with the assistance of the Community Benchmarks Program at SU’s prestigious Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs.

W. Michael Short, SourceFunding.org Founder, and Director of the International Innovators Initiative (IN2NYC) at Medgar Evers College School of Business, City University of New York (VIDEO LINK).

Highlighted in Forbes, at the New York Stock Exchange, at the White House for economic impact, and in the Business & Management Review for socially responsible innovation in financial technology, SourceFunding.org is at the forefront of a new era of hybrid social enterprises: organizations that pursue social missions that are fueled by market-based business models, integrating social and economic objectives.

"The development strategies and plans evolving from our previous work with the Community Benchmark Program in 2015 helped build a strong foundation for the successful national expansion of our hybrid social enterprise business model," said SourceFunding.org CEO W. Michael Short (SU '10 & SU Engagement Scholar '11). "We're grateful for the opportunity to build on that successful collaboration."

As noted by Huffington Post, in an article highlighting the involvement of SU in the early development of SourceFunding.org with social entrepreneur W. Michael Short, the number of social enterprises in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2006.

“The social innovators leading the hybrid movement have advanced efforts to increase accountability of both for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises by combining the best attributes of each,” writes Chris Miller, CEO of the Mission Center L3C Incubator, in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. “It seems safe to assume that the vanguards of the millennial generation and hybrid movement, respectively, will continue to seek more authentic, transparent, and accountable mechanisms for changing the world.”

Specifically, university, foundation, and investor-backed SourceFunding.org expanded nationally in the U.S. to provide a trusted, transparent, & low-cost alternative to the growing number of predatory online small business lenders that are increasingly using deceptive tactics, misleading fees, and hidden costs to take advantage of entrepreneurs nationwide. 

As noted by the U.S. Treasury Department, big banks cut down on their small business lending following the 2008 financial crisis & online FinTech firms stepped in to fill the unmet demand for credit. As a result, the industry boomed and is on track to lend $90 billion a year by 2020. However, according to Opportunity Fund, FinTech loans come at a substantial price with annual percentage interest rates (APRs) reaching from 94% to as high as 358%.

Karen Mills is a Fellow at the Harvard and a leading authority on entrepreneurship & online lending. She was a member of President Obama’s Cabinet, serving as the Administrator of the U.S. SBA from 2009 to 2013 (Photo: U.S. SBA).

Research published by Karen Mills, distinguished senior fellow at Harvard University who lead the U.S. SBA during the Obama Administration, points to a disconnect between traditional banks, that cite a lack of demand from qualified borrowers, and creditworthy business owners, who describe going from bank to bank unable to get a business loan. As a result, businesses are turning to predatory online lending platforms in record numbers.

SourceFunding.org provides the first & only universal small business loan application system accessing every community bank, credit union, non-profit lender, & community development financial institution (CDFI) in the U.S. with the platform's national Responsible Finance Network™ incorporating a network of over 14,000 of the nation's most trusted, transparent, & low-cost lenders.

SourceFunding.org simplifies the capital search process, streamlines the business financing application process, and eliminates over 100 hours of paperwork for entrepreneurs. Using technology to assess the particular circumstances of each entrepreneur, business venture, or organization, along with advanced matchmaking algorithms, SourceFunding.org identifies the small business lending programs that are a good fit out of all the opportunities available.

The platform’s national financial inclusion campaign and social enterprise business model includes multiple independently operated organizations operating toward a shared mission of leveling the playing field for all entrepreneurs in the U.S. in order to stimulate economic impact, community development, and job creation.

Founder Interviewed at New York Stock Exchange

NEW YORK CITY (February 23, 2018) - Excerpt from NYSE Interview:

“Roughly three thousand small businesses are declined for credit every single day, not because they're not credit worthy, but because they applied to the wrong source of financing and that's what we're working to fix,” explained W. Michael Short, SourceFunding.org Founder, who also serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, and as President of the Global Social Enterprise Institute. “For the first time in our nation's history, small businesses are able to apply to the continuum of 14,000 community banks in this country with a single application process.”

Great having you on #CheddarLIVE! https://t.co/XMzCku0C7y

— Brad Smith (@thebradsmith) February 23, 2018

“On average [small businesses] apply to three financial institutions for financing, which amounts to nearly 100 hours of application paperwork” said Mr. Short. “What we're able to do for the first time is connect them with the best source of capital so they're able to apply, get matched, and get their capital on the first attempt.”

SourceFunding.org is a university and foundation-backed online platform matching entrepreneurs and small businesses, for the first time in U.S. history, with the complete national network of over 14,000 trusted, transparent, and low-cost community banks, credit unions, and community development financial institutions. Recognized in the Business & Management Review for socially responsible financial technology, the platform was launched to provide a low-cost alternative to the rapidly expanding number of predatory online lenders, provides the first ever universal application system and a personal Funding Advocate to assist clients throughout the entire application process.

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Full Transcript - NYSE Interview: 

Tim Stenovec: Michael, Amazon Lending is an invitation-only program and it makes loans for companies that may have difficulty landing traditional business loans - when you saw this news last week, this expansion of Amazon's program, what was your first reaction?

W. Michael Short: My first reaction was excitement. Any opportunity to provide capital to small businesses is a positive in my book. 3,000 small businesses are declined for credit every single day, not because they're not creditworthy but because they applied to the wrong source of financing, and that's what we're working to fix.

Tim: Let’s talk about how your approach is different than Amazon’s.

WMS: Absolutely. For the first time in the nation's history, small businesses are able to apply to the continuum of 14,000 community banks in this country. So, for context: how does it work right now? Small business needs to identify where they’re going to apply for this financing. They go to one, they go to the next, they go to the next. In terms of banks, on average they apply to three financial institutions for financing, or in most cases, they give up. So for us right now, what we're able to do for the first time is connect them with the best source of capital so they're able to apply, get matched, and get their capital on the first attempt.

Brad Smith: What’s the reason that they are denied and they’re not getting that transparency that they need - once you’re able to work with them and kind of figure out exactly why they weren’t given the loan that they needed, what’s the most common reason?

WMS: Absolutely, so it’s pretty simple: each of these community banks have different requirements and types of businesses that they support. You're trying to do your food truck in Brooklyn; how would you ever know that the small community bank in southern Wisconsin is the best match for you? You’d never know that. That's what we help them with.

Tim: Let’s talk about the tech behind the platform. What kind of tech are you using to help businesses with funders?

WMS: Absolutely, so inherent to this entire situation is relationships, between the community bank and the small business. A lot of times it becomes impersonal, and that's where this disconnect occurs. Karen Mills at Harvard published some great research, she used to lead the SBA; there is this giant disconnect between the small businesses and the community banks, and what we're able to do is use the algorithms of this matching technology, and we've built on that over the last few years, to be able to connect them with the right source on the first attempt.

Brad: And so, two part question: First part of it, there’s a certain credit score that comes into play with this as well: how much does that weigh on the initial decision, and how can some of these small businesses still find the bank to work with using your system as well? How much does that play a role?

WMS: Each of these community banks has different requirements, different types of business they're looking to support, so whether their credit score is lower or whether it’s higher, there is usually a bank that's willing to support them. The problem is identifying that match. The application process - each of these applications take 33 hours to fill out all the paperwork, and like I said, three applications per business, that's almost 100 hours wasted - not building their business, but on paperwork. A lot of times this paperwork is the same paperwork, but just in different forms, over and over and over.

Brad: One of the big things that we look at within the Fintech space is how so many different businesses are trying to incorporate blockchain and figure out a way that that can create the right ledger system so that these banks or these small businesses are that much more credible or reputable, based on the past transactions that they’ve done. Do you see that as something that’s weaving into your technology, into the fold, very rapidly - is that on the horizon?

WMS: Absolutely, on the horizon. One of our major investors made his fortune in Bitcoin and sees the future in engaging these community banks and using this type of technology to expedite this process, whether it's contracting or connecting or what have you, and that's exactly what we're working on.

Brad: Are you allowed to tell us who the investor is?

WMS: Not yet, no.

Tim: What are the rates that you’re seeing, Michael - I mean Amazon we know reportedly has rates between 6% and 14%, are yours competitive?

WMS: Absolutely, that’s very competitive. I’d say that you’ll get the most competitive rates from the responsible, transparent and trusted nonprofit lenders, the community banks, and it is in that ballpark - as opposed to so many small businesses, one in five, that are applying to predatory online lenders.

Tim: What is Amazon getting out of this - why is Amazon doing this?

WMS: I think it’s a great way for them to be supporting their merchants. It’s a great way for them to help their merchants grow their businesses and in turn, help Amazon grow - it’s mutually beneficial, and that’s what we’re all about at SourceFunding.org.

Brad: In terms of the small business partnerships that Amazon has created over the course of history, what is the biggest problem area for why they need to get more funding that you’ve found, at least in terms of why they need these small business loans or the additional capital?

WMS: Well, in many instances it's an issue of capacity - many of the small businesses that we work with need to bring on additional staff to be able to grow. I'd say that that's a large majority - they want to be able to bring on new staff, they want to create jobs, and they have that challenge of identifying where they can get that capital - the low-cost capital, not the predatory online lenders that are just doing a horrible disservice to the American small business owner with misleading information, it truly is a disaster.

Using dating technology to hook up entrepreneurs with funding

Tech entrepreneur Ashley Warmington, the first and only female entrepreneur to win the City University of New York’s annual SmartPitch business plan competition, says she wouldn’t have been able to secure her financing from 87 funders at a 0% interest rate without the assistance of SourceFunding.org.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (February 8, 2018) - The nation's first and only universal business funding application, SourceFunding.org, announced the successful completion of its national expansion thanks to the support of university and foundation partners.

For the first time, entrepreneurs and small businesses in the U.S. can match with, and apply to, every single low-cost community bank and non-profit lender in the country using a single university and foundation backed platform.

Building on the matching algorithms of a dating software, the proprietary platform provides a unique way to access 14,000 community lending institutions while simplifying the small business loan application process. SourceFunding.org is successfully assisting entrepreneurs in all 50 states by providing a free Funding Profile that helps them match with low-cost financing thanks to the generous support of university and foundation partners.

Brooklyn-based tech entrepreneur Ashley Warmington, founder of MWBE certified AirBnB property management company Cozy Oasis and a recent graduate of the Medgar Evers College (MEC) School of Business, successfully secured funding to grow her business with the help of SourceFunding.org, which she is using to create several jobs in her local community and to expand her business internationally.

“When I lost my home during a difficult time in my life, I was blessed with the opportunity to provide cleaning services in exchange for a place to live,” Ms. Warmington explained. “I humbled myself and gave my all to starting my company focused on property management, which has grown to serve 25 clients, and is now expanding further with the help of SourceFunding.org.”

Although Ms. Warmington is no longer a student, as a Brooklyn resident she receives support from MEC and W. Michael Short, who founded SourceFunding.org, and serves as MEC's Entrepreneur in Residence assisting student-run businesses and managing the International Innovators Initiative (IN2NYC) with the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

“Searching for financing to grow my company took a lot of time away from running my business and each lender handed me a big stack of application forms,” explained Ms. Warmington. “SourceFunding.org on the other hand was able to match me with the right funding from the most trusted source and on the first attempt — saving significant time and money — all with the assistance of a personal Funding Advocate looking out for my best interests and assisting throughout the process and when I ran into issues with the lender.”

Without the assistance of SourceFunding.org, businesses spend 33 hours on average completing each loan application without ever knowing in advance if they are applying to a lender that matches their particular circumstances. As a result, roughly 8,000 business loan applications are declined in the U.S. every single day, which experts view as a “massive market failure.”

“Our mission is to provide a private sector solution for this market failure,” said Sara Brainard, VP at SourceFunding.org formerly of the Weinstein Company. “Although women operate over 40% of U.S. businesses, they only received 4% of the business financing last year, and it’s rewarding to build a company that’s not only working to support women in business but leveling the playing field for ALL entrepreneurs.”

Ms. Warmington, the first and only female entrepreneur to win the City University of New York’s annual SmartPitch business plan competition, says she wouldn’t have been able to secure her financing at a 0% interest rate without the assistance of SourceFunding.org.

The national expansion of SourceFunding.org builds on a successful pilot by founder W. Michael Short’s award-winning consultancy and was planned by the Global Social Enterprise Institute (GSEI) in the Ashoka U Commons accelerator as part of an economic development initiative supporting socially responsible businesses, highlighted in “What’s Working: Small Business” by Huffington Post.

Selected as a 2016 Clinton Foundation sponsored initiative known as a “Commitment to Action,” the platform was featured for socially responsible “FinTech Innovation,” and highlighted at the Obama White House.

First housed by Le Moyne College, with the platform’s founder serving as the College’s inaugural social entrepreneur in residence, SourceFunding.org opened its national headquarters in NYC in 2017 with a field office at MEC School of Business.

"Entrepreneurship is an important career pathway for our students but many face significant challenges when seeking financing to grow their companies and create jobs,” said Dr. JoAnn Rolle, dean of MEC’s School of Business. “Our public/private partnership with SourceFunding.org is strengthening our ability to support our entrepreneurs and the communities that we serve.”

The prestigious Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University is also among the institutions involved in the development and implementation of the platform’s social enterprise business model. SU’s #1 ranked S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is also playing an “instrumental” role along with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

“SourceFunding.org is proving that a low-cost, inclusive, sustainable, transparent, and socially responsible approach to business is more profitable in the long-run and in the best interests of not only our company, but most importantly our business clients, our nation’s community banking system, and our economy as a whole,” said founder W. Michael Short. “This is how you reignite the American Dream.”

SourceFunding.org Partnership with Kiva.org to Provide Alternative to Predatory Lenders

NEW YORK CITY (January 15, 2018) - University and foundation-backed SourceFunding.org recently announced a new partnership with Kiva.org to support small business growth and job creation in the US.

Serving as a Kiva Trustee, SourceFunding.org will be recommending entrepreneurs and small businesses for priority access to 0% interest small business loans.

The new partnership demonstrates growing momentum behind SourceFunding.org’s national campaign for the financial inclusion and empowerment of all entrepreneurs in the US.

The partnership also represents further expansion of SourceFunding.org’s Responsible Finance Network™, which has grown to include several thousand trusted, transparent, and low-cost community lenders within the last year.

“This is yet another exciting step forward in our commitment to level the playing field for all entrepreneurs and small business owners in the US so they can easily find and secure the quality, low-cost, and transparent financing needed to expand & create jobs,” said Sara Brainard, Brooklyn-based entrepreneur and VP of Corporate Operations for SourceFunding.org.

One entrepreneur already benefiting from the new partnership is Ashley Warmington, a student entrepreneur at Medgar Evers College School of Business who is working on her MWBE certification with the support of the College’s nationally recognized Entrepreneurship & Experiential Learning Lab.

Using SourceFunding.org, Ashley’s AirBnB management and concierge company, Cozy Oasis, was matched with Kiva and recommended for funding. The funding will accelerate the company’s growth globally into three new countries, which will create several new jobs in the Brooklyn community.

"Our entrepreneurs and small businesses face significant barriers when seeking financing to grow and create jobs,” said JoAnn Rolle, dean of the Business School at Medgar Evers College. “Entrepreneurship is an an important self directed career pathway for many of our students after they graduate and access to funding is crucial.”

To learn more about the positive impact SourceFunding.org is having, click here.

Our Commitment to Action: Financial Inclusion & Economic Empowerment

Photo: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed Speaking at Opening Plenary of Clinton Global Initiative.

Press Release via Global Social Enterprise Institute:

ATLANTA, GEORGIA (JUNE 2016) — Entrepreneur and economic development specialist W. Michael Short was invited to the Clinton Global Initiative Summit in Atlanta, GA, to announce the expansion of SourceFunding.org and the FundingNavigator℠ as a 2016 Clinton Foundation-sponsored "Commitment to Action."

Pictured: W. Michael Short, founder of SourceFunding.org , with President Clinton.

Recognized for socially responsible "FinTech Innovation" in the Business & Management Review and highlighted at the Obama White House, SourceFunding.org is a tech-enabled venture focused on bridging the opportunity divide for the 28 million small businesses in the U.S. so they can expand, create jobs, & transform communities.

SourceFunding.org is the nation's first low-cost matchmaking platform connecting small businesses with the 14,000+ responsible community banks, credit unions, CDFIs, & economic development financing opportunities in the U.S.

SourceFunding.org merges unparalleled access to the nation's financing opportunities with the nation's first universal e-application for small business funding. The proprietary system improves loan application outcomes, reduces friction for businesses seeking financing, protects the credit scores of small business applicants, and provides the nation's first viable alternative to the many predatory online lenders.

SourceFunding.org is scaling up the successful SourceFunding.org pilot by GSEI and award-winning Short Enterprises from 2011-2015, which facilitated access to $10 million in capital for high impact ventures and initiatives in a community with the nation’s highest levels of poverty concentration.

The platform's national expansion was planned in collaboration with university partners in the Ashoka U Accelerator and with the support of founding investor Janet Davas, mentor with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and founder of Hatch, LLC, & nationally recognized Liberty's Kitchen.

"We're especially thankful for the support of the brilliant team at the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation like David Wilkinson and fellow Syracuse University graduate Laura Tomasko," said W. Michael Short. "We're also very thankful for the incredibly inspiring team at Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation like Dan Goldberg, Stacey Pellegrino, Geoffrey Wnuk, Rose Tobiassen, Shital Patel, Ruchi Bhargava, Kimberly Lovett, and many others."

"The national expansion announcement was also made possible by our involvement in the Ashoka U Accelerator, which helped us refine our model and formulate our CGI Commitment to include a significant focus on empowering the next generation of high impact entrepreneurs that are unable to access the funding needed to launch and grow their ventures," said Short. "The Ashoka U Commons Accelerator is a world-class program."

Click here to read the original article from Global Social Enterprise Institute.

$100 million SourceFunding.org Launch Announced at Clinton Global Initiative

W. Michael Short, FinTech entrepreneur and president of the Global Social Enterprise Institute (GSEI), announces a new $100 million Clinton Global Initiative sponsored "Commitment to Action" at the 2016 CGI America Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

ATLANTA, GA (June 13, 2016) - In June 2016, award winning social entrepreneur W. Michael Short, the Global Social Enterprise Institute (GSEI), and university partners committed to the national expansion of the nation’s first low-cost financing platform for small businesses.

It is anticipated that this new national financial technology (FinTech) platform, SourceFunding.org, will deploy $100 million in business financing by year end 2018 utilizing a universal application system and matchmaking algorithms to more rapidly facilitate access to low-cost financing through the 14,000 community banks and credit unions in the U.S.

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Ceremony at Le Moyne College Highlights Launch of SourceFunding.org

SYRACUSE, NY (November 11, 2015) - The Global Social Enterprise Institute (GSEI), founded at the Madden School of Business by Le Moyne College's inaugural Social Entrepreneur in Residence W. Michael Short, will highlight at Wednesday’s ceremony the launch of SourceFunding.org - the nation's first socially responsible, transparent, and low-cost financing platform for businesses and community organizations.

Photo: Jim Joseph is the Dean of the Madden School of Business at Le Moyne College.

The online financing platform uses advanced technologies to streamline the small business loan application process and match entrepreneurs of all backgrounds with the qualified community banks and loan programs that are most likely to provide financing. The platform will be working to empower veterans and other underserved entrepreneurs in particular.

SourceFunding.org Founder W. Michael Short

What sets SourceFunding.org apart existing online financing platforms, viewed by many to be "predatory lenders," is that it utilizes an innovative process tapping into the complete national network of 14,000+ community banks, CDFIs, & credit unions in the U.S., which typically offer lower and more competitive interest rates that save applicants money. Additional benefits include pursuing multiple financing opportunities simultaneously, saving considerable time, and also protecting the credit scores of entrepreneur applicants.

IN THE NEWS: Newhouse School & Alumnus Develop National Entrepreneurship Initiative

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and boutique management consultancy SHORT ENTERPRISES have partnered to establish a network supporting entrepreneurs throughout the U.S. The Initiative's primary focus will be the launch of a new funding platform streamlining access to financing from community lenders. The platform is designed to provide a transparent alternative to expensive predatory online lenders and is focused on financial inclusion and economic empowerment in underserved communities.

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Newhouse partners with alumnus on CGI-sponsored project to support entrepreneurship across the U.S.

Via Newhouse School Press Release (October 22, 2014) - The Newhouse School at Syracuse University has joined forces with entrepreneur and Newhouse alumnus W. Michael Short on his firm’s latest endeavor with the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI-A).

Short will announce the launch of this new venture, the Startup Insider Initiative, at the 4th Annual Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EVB) Conference at the CNN Center in Atlanta, October 24-26.

The Startup Insider Initiative, a CGI-A Commitment to Action, will involve the launch of a new e-publication and web platform for entrepreneurs and small business technical assistance and resource providers throughout the United States. CGI-A Commitments to Action are projects that aim to address significant global, national or local challenges.

Newhouse students began working with Short Enterprises on the project in early September and the school’s student-run PR firm, Hill Communications, will assist with the implementation of the public relations campaigns during the roll-out of the project.

“Our students are thrilled to take part in this exciting endeavor,” says Robert Kucharavey, a professor of practice in public relations at Newhouse. “The initiative is giving our students an opportunity to showcase their talents on a high-profile project while learning from a phenomenal social enterprises company started by one of our alums.”

The initiative will feature the best and brightest entrepreneurs and businesses from across the U.S and build a network among participants in order to facilitate opportunities for growth, expansion and job creation. In addition to providing a space for entrepreneurs to connect, Startup Insider Initiative will focus on engaging young women in the entrepreneurial process, supporting social and civic entrepreneurs, fostering an online support community and cross-sector global coalitions in support of youth entrepreneurial programming and supporting the economic empowerment of veterans through entrepreneurship.

“We’re very pleased to have the Newhouse School on board,” says Short. “Bob Kucharavey is one of the most talented and knowledgeable professors I have ever had the privilege of working with and his phenomenal students have already begun to identify effective strategies to engage the project’s key constituencies and I’m so very impressed with the work the students have done so far.”

Short Enterprises is also collaborating and partnering with a number of other organizations on the initiative including the New York State Family Business Center at Le Moyne College, New York State Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

The launch of Startup Insider was inspired by Short’s participation in the Clinton Global Initiative America Community Investing Working Group, which is focused on developing actionable strategies to broaden the domestic social finance market in order to use private capital in areas of small business lending, affordable housing, health and community and economic development.

The working group includes leaders from the MacArthur Foundation, Bush Foundation, Ford Foundation, Global Sustainable Finance at Morgan Stanley, Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, U.S. Community Reinvestment Fund, Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Treasury Department, among others.

“Startup Insider presents a unique opportunity to support budding entrepreneurs and assist them with gaining traction and exposure, sharing ideas and accessing crucial resources,” says Short. “We’re fortunate to have the support of a number of great organizations and the EVB conference is the perfect venue to announce the launch of our first Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action.”