Notre Dame guiding local entrepreneurs with new Collaboration Hub

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame’s South Bend Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program (SBEAP) cut the ribbon for their new Collaboration Hub Wednesday evening.

The facility, located at 805 Lincoln Way West, South Bend, will be a spot for local entrepreneurs who graduated from the 11-month SBEAP program to receive the resources to continue growing their business.

The SBEAP program was started in 2019 by Notre Dame professor Michael Morris. SBEAP is aimed at providing the guidance to those in the South Bend area who have a business dream, but don’t have the resources to start.

“These are companies that are embedded in the community, they’re committed to South Bend, they’re part of neighborhoods, and as they get started, it helps the entrepreneur find their way out of disadvantage, out of poverty, but it also improves the community. When you have more of these businesses, crime comes down, high school dropout rates go down,” said Morris.

The hub will offer training and workshops, access to supplies like desktop computers, books and research tools. The facility will also be staffed by about 35 Notre Dame students, who will serve as consultants for the entrepreneurs, like Elise Cunningham, the senior manager at the Collaboration Hub.

“It’s really been incredible because I think a lot of the time there’s a disconnect between Notre Dame students and the larger South Bend community and this has been the main way where I’ve seen students truly get involved in the community and have a presence working with and learning from local people,” said Cunningham.

You can learn more about the SBEAP program or other resources offered, here.