Kosciusko County Expands Entrepreneurship Support

Warsaw-based Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. has announced the formal launch of the organization’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, which positions KEDCo as the lead Entrepreneur Support Organization in Kosciusko County.

An ESO is a resource for startups to share and discuss business challenges, seek help from a personal mentor, and gain access to large-scale networking events.

“Kosciusko County is well located to partner with ESOs throughout the Fort Wayne-South Bend region and is home to agribusiness and medical device industries with significant growth potential,” said KEDCo Entrepreneurship Partner Rhonda Ladig. “The response so far from client companies reaffirms our strategy to put entrepreneurship support at the foundation of KEDCo’s work plan going forward.”
 
KEDCo says it is implementing the recommendations of an entrepreneurial ecosystem assessment. For instance, it created an Entrepreneur Navigator, which created a single point of contact for entrepreneurs.

KEDCo has also redesigned its Revolving Loan Fund. The organization says its RLF program now features multiple options for startup and early-stage companies to request up to $10,000 in working capital, up to $50,000 for operations, and up to $100,000 for implementing growth strategies.