America’s SBDC Blog

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Hand In Hand Secures Nearly $3M Grant to Expand Childcare Access Across Lewis County

December 3, 2025

Jenniffer Bleakley and her Hand In Hand Early Childhood Center applied for a NYS Office of Children and Family Services state grant, which was awarded to expand her childcare center. After receiving the grant award, it was rescinded and taken back after a technicality. At this time, she and her team had already started planning her business expansion and were working towards offering more childcare to Lewis County residents. 

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SBDCs Team Up with PREDICTif Solutions to Bring AI Funding Directly to Entrepreneurs

November 19, 2025

PREDICTif Solutions and Peak SBDC Host Successful Pitch Competition at Goat Patch Brewery

Colorado Springs, CO – November 7, 2025 – Through an outstanding partnership with Brandon Eldridge and Nichole Rotte of the Peak Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Colorado Springs, PREDICTif Solutions hosted an exciting Pitch Competition on November 6 at Goat Patch Brewery, a proud veteran-owned establishment.

The event featured a highly competitive lineup of innovative companies, each showcasing exceptional ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. The judges’ scores were so close that the competition came within a single point of a four-way tie—ultimately resulting in a tie for first place.

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AnywhereCam Inc. From Pitch to Growth: A Success Story 

November 12, 2025

Mike Blecha grew up and lives in a small rural area in northeastern Colorado. Most of his family, friends, customers and neighbors are hard-working people, many with property and belongings spread around the region. During the pandemic, theft and robbery exponentially increased, and Mike, known in his local community as the ‘tech guy’, was the go-to person for a surveillance solution. 

After unsuccessfully trying to implement almost every option currently on the market, Mike decided to build a surveillance camera that anyone could use anywhere, regardless of their access to high-speed internet or power. He created AnywhereCam as a reliable and durable solution to help the people of rural communities have a sense of security regardless of circumstances.

When Mike Blecha launched AnywhereCam, he faced the classic startup dilemma: limited funds and limited reach. Marketing efforts generated brief spikes in sales, but without a steady budget, the momentum quickly faded. At the same time, raising a seed round proved equally difficult—few investors resonated with the vision or the scalability of AnywhereCam’s technology.

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Coreshell Technologies Wins $1 Million Investment, Named Grand Finale Winner of the 2025 Startup World Cup

November 5, 2025

Victory for East Bay SBDC Client Highlights California Entrepreneurship on a Global Stage

San Francisco, CA, October 23, 2025, — Coreshell Technologies, a battery innovation company based in San Leandro, California, has been named the Grand Finale Winner of the 2025 Startup World Cup, earning a $1 million investment and top honors among 100+ regional champions representing six continents. 

Prior to the Grand Finale, Coreshell participated in the StartUp World Cup East Bay Regional, an event created and hosted by East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Executive Director Nancy Mangold to showcase promising startups from across the region. After a strong performance at the East Bay Regional, Coreshell advanced to the global competition, ultimately securing the Grand Prize.

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Medical Equipment Supplier Reaches Global Markets

October 15, 2025

Aydin Bilgutay, a second-generation owner of the company Infinium Medical, a leading patient monitor manufacturer and medical equipment supplier based in Pinellas County, has continued to grow the business alongside his brothers ever since his father started it over 30 years ago. Since taking over the business, the team knew they wanted to keep up with their exporting success and reach global markets. That’s when they decided to reach out to the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of South Florida (USF) for professional advice and guidance.

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