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Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, in partnership with Collider, is recruiting businesses to join the CO.STARTERS program. This program is open to entrepreneurs in SMIF’s 20-county region who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC), and underserved individuals.

CO.STARTERS is the first stage of SMIF’s Prosperity Initiative program and is hosted by Collider in Rochester. A 10-week-long, cohort-based opportunity, it equips entrepreneurs with the fundamental tools to turn business ideas into action.

Entrepreneurs that complete CO.STARTERS, or those who already have an established business plan, will then meet regularly with a business strategist to set intentional goals to scale growth. A personalized plan of action will be developed, and entrepreneurs will be trained on a variety of advanced business skills including QuickBooks management, marketing and financial planning.

The Prosperity Initiative is supported, in part, by state of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

To learn more, and to apply for CO.STARTERS, visit smifoundation.org/prosperity. Applications are due by July 11. Contact Pam Bishop, vice president of economic development, at 507-214-7013 or pamb@smifoundation.org, with questions.