Valley Venture Mentors provides mentorship to seed-stage startups in the form of monthly events and
The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC)'s Western Regional Office Network provides free and confidential one-on-one business advisory services to prospective and existing small businesses.
SCORE is a non-profit dedicated to entrepreneurial education and provides face-to-face and email counseling.
InCommN supports entrepreneurial activities in the Pioneer Valley. Don't eat lunch alone!
Private Capital
Common Capital. Common Capital is a non-profit organization that is committed to a thriving local economy in order to create positive social and community impacts. We align capital and other resources to community needs and opportunities. We accomplish this by providing financing and business assistance consultation to small businesses and high-impact community projects. A community loan fund can be a driver for creating a local, sustainable economy that offers a foundation for a better quality of life. Loan requests up to $300,000 are reviewed by Common Capital and considered for funding based on community benefit, business viability and risk considerations. Common Capital offers a variety of loan products for a range of credit needs with loan amounts beginning at $1,000. Borrowers may be individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Common Capital funds both start-up enterprises and established businesses and serves businesses in Franklin County, Berkshire County, Hampshire County, Hampden County and parts of Worcester County.
Long River Ventures. Invests in seed and early stage companies in technology, healthcare and related sectors. Typical initial investment ranges from $500,000 to $1MM. Partner fund of The Berkshires Capital Investors. Both are part of the Village Ventures network. Long River Ventures has a managed fund of $50MM.
Longmeadow Capital Partners. Typically invests between $2 and $20 million. They sponsor financial transactions including management buy-outs and provide post-transaction operational assistance.
Small Business Administration (SBA) aids with starting, building and growing businesses. Branch office is located in Springfield.
Prototyping
Page Product Design. From prototyping to production tooling. Launched products worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Greentech Skunkworks. Design, prototyping and engineering of green technology solutions.
Other
The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation (HGCF) supports the Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI) to foster entrepreneurship education among participating colleges and universities in the region.
Hidden-tech. A group of small companies scattered throughout the Pioneer Valley. Excellent resource for finding regional talent and obtain expert advice.
EDC is a private, non-profit corporation that is leading region's economic development by helping businesses to expand, relocate and succeed in Western Massachusetts. Check out the "partners" link to learn about additional resources and organizations.
University of Massachusetts Library. Free access to reports and databases from the library. Other libraries at state colleges (such as Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College) also provide free access and resources.
Business Growth Center.The Business Growth Center at Springfield Technology Park helps the businesses that come through its doors become more successful more quickly and, by extension, contributes to a vibrant, revitalized economy in Springfield and beyond with its programs, services, and facilities.
WISERTrade. Nationally recognized resource for international trade. Provides detailed trade statistics, reports and company listings to identify new global market locations and suppliers. WISER is located at Holyoke Community College and is part of the College's new Kittredge Business and Technology Center.
Internhere helps students looking for internships connect with Connecticut and Massachusetts employers.
