Chatham University's Center for Women's Entrepreneurship Launches Entrepreneurship Hub
PITTSBURGH—Chatham University announced today the opening of a new 3,000 square foot Entrepreneurship Hub located at Chatham’s Eastside campus at 6585 Penn Avenue. The Hub is a partnership to serve women entrepreneurs run by The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University and Chatham’s Women’s Business Center (CWBC), formerly located at Chatham’s Shadyside campus, and is funded through the support of The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Google.org, and the PNC Foundation.
The newly established Entrepreneurship Hub will become a nexus for mentoring, training, and networking events, and among the highlights, will offer new digital literacy programming and prototyping/design training in a new lab space open to women entrepreneurs and the Chatham community. The core components of The Hub include:
- A Financial Literacy Program
- A Prototyping and Design Lab
- A Digital Literacy Program
- Mentoring and Mentor Training Programs
Makers in the creative industries who want to develop and commercialize products will have the opportunity to participate in the Prototyping and Design Lab, which will feature hands-on training and the latest technological equipment to support women entrepreneurs and makers. For those seeking financing resources and access to capital, The Hub’s Financial Literacy Program will host workshops and seminars in conjunction with regional partners, including accountants, CDFI lenders, banks, and bookkeepers. In addition, the Center’s new Entrepreneurship Café meeting space will serve as a focal point for further engagement and learning.
Building on the Connecting Urban Entrepreneurs (CUE) program piloted by Google Pittsburgh, the Center, and other partners, The Hub will also establish a Digital Literacy Training Program, through the assistance of Google.org. The Digital Program at The Hub will be offered through the CWBC and will assist business owners who lack a functional online presence in establishing a brand, creating a functioning website, and understanding the tools needed to build and sustain a compelling online presence moving forward.
The Hub will also serve clients throughout the region through CWBC established in 2016 through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. CWBC currently serves entrepreneurs throughout the 27 counties of Western Pennsylvania, and will continue its focus to engage women from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds and women veterans while also providing one-on-one counseling in the community and on-site at The Hub.
About The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship
The Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University creates economic opportunities for women through entrepreneurial education and training, mentoring, and networking. Building on Chatham University's tradition of educating women for 145 years, The Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University has provided quality education and training for women entrepreneurs since 2005. Funding for the Entrepreneurship Hub and its programming has been provided by The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Google.org, and the PNC Foundation. For more information about programs offered by The Center, call 412-365-1253 or visit www.chatham.edu/cwe.