Luzerne County entrepreneurship partners kicked off the first session of TechCelerator @ Luzerne County on Wednesday, January 29th, at the Wilkes-Barre THINK Center. The pilot initiative, funded in part by Microsoft, is a collective effort brought to regional entrepreneurs by the CAN BE Innovation Center, CAN DO, Inc., the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wilkes-Barre Connect, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, tecBRIDGE, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and the Small Business Development Center at Wilkes University, along with the Hazleton Launchbox Supported by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq. and the Wilkes-Barre Launchbox Powered by Penn State.

TechCelerator @ Luzerne County is a ten-week , co-hort based program designed for early-stage entrepreneurs. Participants will benefit from weekly educational workshops and one-on-one mentoring sessions covering critical topics such as business models, customer development, value propositions, financial basics (balance sheets, income statements, cash flow, etc.), estimating operating and startup costs, funding options, business structure, and ownership. The program also includes goal setting for continued business success after its completion.

Upon completion of the cohort, participants will have developed a comprehensive business plan, which they will pitch to a panel of business experts for a chance to win prize money during the final graduation ceremony.

For more information about the program, visit: TechCelerator @ Luzerne County.