Northwest Indiana is home to a wealth of resources to help entrepreneurs start and grow thriving enterprises. However, these resources are not always known to entrepreneurs.
NWI BizHub was created to provide an online resource to highlight and better connect regional champions of entrepreneurship. Through a grant provided by Lilly Endowment Inc., the Lake and La Porte County Community Foundations partnered to explore opportunities on how philanthropy could play a role in fostering economic development in our communities.
Through community engagement and research, entrepreneurship emerged as a priority area where the Foundations could build upon existing efforts. Enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region aligned with the priorities in the Ignite the Region: A Regional Strategy for Economic Transformation plan, a plan that the Foundations support and helped to fund.
As part of the regional mission to connect small businesses in Lake, Porter and La Porte Counties to crucial resources, Legacy Foundation, Crown Point Community Foundation, and Unity Foundation of La Porte County, have teamed with the Center of Workforce Innovations and Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center. Together, the five organizations have partnered to make support resources more visible through an online platform coined NWI BizHub.