HARRISBURG, Pa (WHTM) – A new Entrepreneurship Center in Strawberry Square will be opened by The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) to house 11 startup founders in its business incubator program.

The space offers room for up to 18 months with financial assistance, coaching, and interns for the entrepreneurs.

The center says the program is comprised of 80% Black, Indigenous, People of Color and 50% women owned businesses.

“Economic development and support for businesses have always been part of HU’s mission,” said Dr. Eric Darr, Harrisburg University President. “The center is accessible and for anyone who has an idea. It can be anybody who just has a concept but doesn’t know where to start. We hope, by having founders come to the Entrepreneurship Center, it creates new companies and jobs throughout the Harrisburg region and beyond,”

CIE Executive Director Jay Jayamohan and his network of entrepreneurs and innovators will be mentors for the center.

“The multi-faceted goal of CIE is not only flipping the script on what you must “look like” to be an innovator, but to build a replicable model to create a positive economic change in small cities and towns,” Jayamohan said. “This will not happen without the support of the larger community and so we are excited for our new space and have entrepreneurs and innovators from the community continue to be an evangelist for the work we do.”