HERMITAGE, Pa. – Blake Lutton is a managing partner of a very young company. His firm, Hermitage IT Solutions, needed some basics just to get off the ground.
Established in September, the company was in search of professional office space, rudimentary office equipment and amenities such as a conference room to meet with existing and prospective clients.
In January, the company found its answer and today is a resident at the eCentre@LindenPointe in Hermitage, a business incubator that helps early-stage entrepreneurs and companies find their footing by providing tech support, affordable workspace, market research, common services, mentorship, business counseling, and opportunities for seed funding.
“It’s really helped foster growth and guidance on where we are and where we’re going,” Lutton says.
Hermitage IT provides managed IT services and cybersecurity for client-businesses of all sizes, Lutton says.
Among the first tasks the company tackled was getting its internal systems prepared, enabling it to focus on attracting a client base, Lutton adds. It’s also received valuable insight from Bradley Calleja, executive director at LindenPointe Development Corp., which oversees the eCentre. “He’ll sit down with us and bounce off some ideas,” he says.
Lutton says the eCentre has thus far helped Hermitage IT secure some smaller projects, while the company continues to encourage partnerships with other businesses. “We’re at a point now where we’re getting our name out there,” he says.
Calleja joined LindenPointe Development in August and says there are approximately 15 businesses operating in some fashion out of the eCentre, three of which are leasing office suites.
Often, startups come to the eCentre for basics such as printing, internet and email, Calleja says.
“We also do weekly or biweekly one-on-ones, customer discovery, marketing support and use our network in the Shenango Valley,” he says. The eCentre, for example, partners with Shenango LaunchBox in Sharon, which provides intellectual property research and legal support at no cost, he says.
The objective is to help these early-stage companies scale to a point where they are self-sustaining and can then expand, diversify, and create jobs in the Shenango Valley, Calleja says. “It was always a challenge because a lot of companies, especially that scale, look to go to Pittsburgh or Cleveland,” he says. “We’re hoping with the development of more tools that we can keep them here as much as possible.”
Among the other initiatives the eCentre is pursuing this year is a startup accelerator program, which starts June 2, Calleja says. “We’re primarily looking for STEM startups,” he says, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, health tech and agricultural technology.
The eCentre will evaluate the proposals and invite between five and seven companies to an eight-week program that includes a curriculum, mentors and entrepreneurs in residence, Calleja says. The program culminates in a pitch competition with a $10,000 prize for the best startup, he says.
“All of the startups who participate will be invited to the incubator,” Calleja says. “They’ll get three months of free co-working, and if they choose to, they can move into one of our office suites.”