Innovation

CFPB: New Effort Launched to Promote Competition and Innovation in Consumer Finance

New Office Will Identify Obstacles for New Market Entrants The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is opening a new office, the Office of Competition and Innovation, as part of a new approach to help spur innovation in financial services by promoting competition and identifying stumbling blocks for new market entrants. The office will replace the…

EDA: $2 Million Invested to Support Innovation and Technology Entreprenerus in Akron, OH

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million grant to the city of Akron, Ohio, to expand and renovate its Bounce Innovation Hub, a business incubator facility. This investment will support more than 60 start-up businesses and entrepreneurs at the incubator through…

FDIC: James Madison University College of Business Wins FDIC’s Second Annual Academic Challenge

Undergraduate team selected for examination of the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. banks The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced a four-member team of undergraduate students from James Madison University College of Business won the agency’s Second Annual FDIC Academic Challenge, a competition among university and college students concerning the U.S. banking sector. The FDIC…

SBA: Launch of Inaugural America’s Seed Fund Expo Competition for Small Businesses, Startups, and Inventors Announced

Applications will be accepted until April 22, 2022 Today, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, announced the launch of America’s Seed Fund Startup Expo 2022, a new initiative aimed at identifying innovative startups and supporting them with resources to help them scale,…

EDA: Louisiana Highlighted for Success in Innovation, Entrepreneurshipa nd Economic Reslience During High-Level International Delegation Visit

Senior Officials from Across the Western Hemisphere and Other Nations Set to Tour New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Acadiana Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and the Organization of American States (OAS), announced that 52 high-level representatives from 20 countries will participate…

SBA: Small Business Digital Alliance National Members and First Slate of Events Announced

Fortune 500 companies and more sign on to new initiative to help small businesses grow their online footprint through access to free digital tools Today, the Small Business Digital Alliance (SBDA) announced its national members and a slate of upcoming events. The SBDA is a new public-private co-sponsorship between the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Business Forward, Inc., a non-profit…

EDA: $2 Million in “STEM Talent Challenge” Grants Announced to Strengthen Innovation Workforce Pipeline

8 Organizations Receive Funding for Programs that Support Regional Industry Workforce Needs Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the eight grant recipients of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) STEM Talent Challenge, a national competition that supports programs to train science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent to create a robust STEM-capable workforce across the country,…

SBA: Business Forward and SBA Launch the “Small Business Digital Alliance”

New Venture Will Convene Major Tech Companies, Players to Provide Small Businesses Free Access to Tools to Expand E-Commerce Footprint Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Business Forward, Inc., a non-profit organization working with small business leaders in support of policies promoting America’s economic competitiveness, announced the launch of the Small Business Digital Alliance (SBDA). A joint public-private…

SBA: Five New Regional Innovation Clusters Announced

Newly-designated Clusters Collectively Awarded $1.5M to Support Small Business Growth and Drive Innovation in Local Economies The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the addition of five new Regional Innovation Clusters (RIC) to the portfolio of communities the agency supports through the program. RICs are geographically-concentrated networking hubs of small businesses, suppliers, service providers, and…