The City of Fort Wayne’s Summit City Entrepreneur and Enterprise District (SEED) is investing in new business start-ups by offering ten sessions of an eight-week business planning class for anyone considering starting a business.

Mayor Tom Henry will visit one of the classes tomorrow, April 24, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. at the Penta Minority Entrepreneurship Center, 2513 South Calhoun. The Mayor will congratulate participants for exploring the idea of starting a business and will also accept a donation to the program from Indiana Michigan Power.

The program, called Build Institute Fort Wayne Business Planning Education, is designed to cover the basics of starting a business, including establishing an entity, financial literacy, market research, cash flow, loan types, cost-benefit analyses and more. Participants will meet for three hours once per week for eight weeks for a total of 24 hours of education. In order to make the program accessible to everyone, free childcare and meals are available during the classes.

“Indiana Michigan Power strongly believes in the power of entrepreneurs to help drive the economies of the communities we serve,” said Toby Thomas, President and Chief Operating Officer of Indiana Michigan Power. “We recognize that many people have the creativity, determination and skills to run successful businesses but need resources to help them get started. I&M is pleased to be able to help by supporting the Build Institute with a $20,000 Economic Impact Grant.”

Six sessions will be scheduled in Fort Wayne and four more throughout northeast Indiana. The first session began April 17. Participants are asked to pay an upfront fee of $175, which will be returned to participants upon completion of the program to re-invest into their business.

Anyone interested in signing up for a future Build Institute Fort Wayne course should visit www.SEEDfw.org, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 260-422-2304.

The program is support by SEED Fort Wayne, formerly the Urban Enterprise Association, and I&M.