Lisa Shimkat, state director of America’s Small Business Development Center Iowa, has been appointed the associate administrator of field operations for the U.S. Small Business Administration and the acting associate administrator for the Office of International Trade. Shimkat has led SBDC Iowa, which has 15 regional centers across the state, since 2014. Under her leadership, […]

The Iowa Center for Economic Success has announced a contract award from the U.S. Small Business Administration to add a Women’s Business Center as part of the small-business services offered by its eastern Iowa office in Muscatine. This is the second Women’s Business Center in Iowa, in addition to the one at the Iowa Center’s Des Moines […]

The Iowa District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Iowa LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce honored Iowa City-based Caring Hands & More with an SBA Impact Award on Tuesday. Caring Hands & More is an LGBTQ-owned business providing home care, community living support, adult day services and more to individuals and families in the Iowa City […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced more than $5.4 million in funding through the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program to 44 awardees, including Iowa State University. FAST provides small businesses and startups, particularly those in underserved communities, with specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance for research and development. Grant awardees qualify for award […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration is launching the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program and allocating $3 million in new funding to help emerging small business owners develop their cybersecurity infrastructure, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced Friday. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have adopted technology at high rates to survive, operate and grow […]

The Small Business Administration announced 76 awards for accelerators supporting inclusive entrepreneurship, including two from Iowa. The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo) and Rural Business Innovators Iowa SBDC will receive $50,000 each as winners of the 2021 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, which recognized efforts that “targeted assistance to STEM/R&D entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, including women, […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the first round of technology partners in a new initiative designed to deliver Restaurant Revitalization Funds to eligible restaurants through point-of-sale service providers Clover, NCR Corp., Square and Toast, the SBA announced this week. Once applications open, qualifying businesses will be able to work directly with their point-of-sale service […]

The U.S. Small Business Administration will hold a live webinar today, Jan. 7, at noon to announce details about Ascent, a new online learning platform for women-owned small businesses. The new learning platform, which was first announced by the SBA in May 2019, was built to provide a modern e-learning experience for female business owners. […]