The City of Long Beach has been awarded $50,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to support the development, implementation and improvement of online tools that will help entrepreneurs learn about the business startup process and cut the time to apply for permits and licenses.
President Barack Obama encouraged cities to support entrepreneurs by participating in the “Startup in a Day” Initiative and taking the “Startup in a Day” Pledge. Those cities were invited to apply for funding through two SBA prize competitions.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has taken the pledge and joins 24 other mayors committed to modernizing the startup process, according to city officials.
“Entrepreneurs help to make Long Beach a great place to live, work and play,” Garcia said. “It is our job to be supportive of them and remove any unnecessary obstacles as they pursue their dreams and build local businesses.”
Over the next year, the City will develop a series of solutions that will prepare entrepreneurs for the startup process and make it easier to submit applications in one day, officials said. The SBA prize will support the creation and launch of StartupLB, a comprehensive online tool that will provide Long Beach entrepreneurs with business planning resources and will help to target business development.
StartupLB, along with the new online tool OpenCounter, represents a comprehensive commitment to supporting new and existing businesses that contribute to the City’s local economy, according to officials. Additionally, the City has partnered with Citymart, a New York-based firm that connects cities with new ideas through “open challenges,” including one to make Long Beach the most business-friendly city.
Cities were encouraged to take a public “Startup in a Day” pledge and were invited to apply for funding through two SBA prize competitions. The SBA is conducting the “Startup in a Day”
Initiative in partnership with the National League of Cities (NLC), which represents thousands of municipal leaders around the country.
Following the awarding of prizes, the NLC will lead a group of winners to share best practices and build community development and implementation of startup solutions.
