Startup Open House a Draw for Dozens
October 25, 2017
DEED’s Startup open house, held Oct. 10 at the First National Bank Building in St. Paul, gave over 70 entrepreneurs, makers and artists the opportunity to meet DEED representatives from the Offices of Small Business Assistance, Business Finance, Business Development, Small Business Development Centers, Minnesota Trade Office and Unemployment Insurance and to learn about technical support and financing programs DEED offers that help get startups up and running.
For Mike Elliott, an entrepreneur from Brooklyn Center who is originally from Liberia, the choice to drop in on DEED’s Startup open house, struck just the right note. “I decided to attend primarily to see how I could fund my business,” he said. “I’ve gotten information about the Emerging Entrepreneur Loan Program, Minnesota Innovation Loans for Entrepreneurs and the Minnesota Trade Office.”
Elliott’s business, NowLanguage, makes it easy for organizations and individuals to get spoken language interpreters by phone or in person either by scheduling an appointment or in real time. Using an app, interpreters and users of the service can create an account at no charge.