FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 1, 2018

Contact: Catherine Tenuta, SBS Press Secretary- ctenuta@sbs.nyc.gov, 212-618-8768

APPLICATIONS OPEN: CITY OFFERS BUSINESS COURSE SERIES TO OVER 400 ENTREPRENEURS IN FISCAL YEAR 2019

Series has Already Served Over 4,000 Entrepreneurs Since 2009 Launch

New York – NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Gregg Bishop announced today that applications are now open for over 400 entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through a series of courses being offered by the City this fiscal year 2019. The series, called FastTrac®, has already served over 4,000 entrepreneurs since launched by the City in 2009. FastTrac® is a series of courses that help aspiring and established entrepreneurs launch and grow their business. Course variations are offered that specifically target women, tech, and veteran entrepreneurs as well as neighborhood businesses.

“The entrepreneurial spirit of New Yorkers built this city and is the reason it remains the greatest city in the world,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “Through programs like FastTrac®, New Yorkers are able to get the support they need to help their businesses flourish and serve our thriving local economy.”

FastTrac® is a free program that provides entrepreneurs across the boroughs with the knowledge and skills needed to grow their businesses through a series of eight to ten sessions with curriculum from the Kauffman Foundation and the guidance of business experts. This fiscal year 2019, FastTrac® will offer over 30 courses including the following course variations: 

• FastTrac® NewVenture™ is for aspiring or recently established entrepreneurs;
• FastTrac® NewVenture™ for the Female Entrepreneur focuses on topics, challenges, and resources relevant to women entrepreneurs;
• FastTrac® TechVenture™ focuses on topics, challenges, and resources relevant to aspiring technology entrepreneurs;
• FastTrac® GrowthVenture™ is for owners of established businesses;
• FastTrac® GrowthVenture™ for Veterans is for veterans who currently own and operate businesses; and
• FastTrac GrowthVenture for Established Neighborhood Businesses focuses on topics, challenges, and resources relevant to owners of long-standing small businesses.

For more information or to register for a FastTrac® course, visit nyc.gov/fasttrac .

Alexa Simeone: FastTrac® Success Story

Alexa Simeone is the owner of Lele Bombe Fresco Eco Jewelry, a platform for handmade goods that reinvests 10% of profits in community projects in Colombia. She completed FastTrac® NewVenture™ in 2017, while developing her business concept and credits FastTrac® with being instrumental in launching a successful business. She has since been awarded a scholarship through the Impact Hub 30 for 30 program, which brings together start-ups whose work aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and been invited to a holiday pop-up market spotlighting women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color who are reinventing fashion and art. She stated the following regarding her experience:

“The FastTrac® program is the high-speed train straight into the entrepreneurial world, you come on board with an idea but you leave with a comprehensive plan on how to make it happen,” said Alexa Simeon, owner of Lele Bombe Fresco Eco Jewelry. “All these great opportunities came about because the FastTrac® program provided a solid foundation on how to properly start a business right from the start.”

About the Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information, visit nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.