Program Overview

The mission of the Entrepreneur Education and Development Program (EEDP) is to facilitate mentoring relationships and experience-based learning opportunities for new and emerging companies, non-profit organizations, and higher education partners. Through these relationships, the program encourages innovation, promotes the transfer of knowledge, and fosters community-based economic growth.
 

UIF maintains strategic partnerships with universities, government agencies, and corporations throughout eastern Pennsylvania. Through these alliances, UIF engages the entrepreneur community and connects them to mentors that have an array of technical, industry and life experience.
 

Since UIF is a philanthropic organization, any entrepreneur that is accepted into the program receives mentoring benefits at no cost.
 

How EEDP Benefits Entrepreneurs

The EEDP provides mentoring support to entrepreneurs in various stages of development. Working with UIF mentors and accessing various educational materials (either web based or archived at UIF), entrepreneurs can:

• Develop organizational talent and expertise

• Explore new opportunities in their field

• Build a pathway to funding (capital)
   

Complementary to the mentoring support, entrepreneurs can also utilize physical space at the Foundation for meetings, training and education sessions, and to share ideas and exchange information with fellow entrepreneurs in the program.
 

EEDP Value-added Support

The EEDP works closely with the higher education community to engage students interested in entrepreneurship. UIF’s Entrepreneur Associate Program matches talented university students with entrepreneurs participating in the EEDP. The Associates provide research support and valuable third-party perspective to program entrepreneurs. In return, the Associates receive hands-on, industry experience and mentoring from EEDP participants. The experience for students, coupled with the operational and strategic support for entrepreneurs, makes the Associate Program very dynamic and rich learning experience for everyone.