WCA Announces Launch of Blueprint Accelerator Network
Looking to spur business locally, draw businesses to Westchester and keep them in the county, the Westchester County Association announced the launch of the “Blueprint Accelerator Network” Thursday morning in a press conference in White Plains.
“I really think today will be a game changer in terms of Westchester County,” WCA President Bill Mooney said. “Today is a defining moment in Westchester County.”
The Blueprint Accelerator Network will work to connect young but established businesses with financiers and venture capitalists, and provide them with resources within the county – including professional services, office space and mentors – that will help the companies grow. The WCA has partnered with local colleges and universities to draw people out of their entrepreneur programs and is also looking to draw from companies both inside and outside the county.
“If you look across all the professions and skills that are represented by the members of the WCA, it is a phenomenally talented group that I think you can match up against any county association in the country,” said Dan Papes, a member of the WCA Board of Directors. “We expect that when we successfully institute this, this will be fantastic for economic development in the county and will provide thousands and thousands of jobs. It will consume our real estate and hopefully require even more.”
Businesses accepted into the Blueprint Accelerator Network will have to commit to staying in Westchester for a period of time after graduating from the network. Mooney said he expects to begin interviewing companies for the network by the third quarter of this year. Already, the network has attracted $150 million in investment, according to the WCA.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.