New CUNY Tech Mentoring Program for Small Businesses

CUNY LOGO Photo Courtesy: CUNY’s Website

By Pamela Garcia

   Starting this year, about 250 small businesses are going to get a big boost from five senior CUNY colleges through a new technology mentoring program. The people that will benefit from the new CUNY Tech Mentoring Program will be minorities, veterans and women who own their own businesses. 

A $100,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation will fund the creation of the emerging technology mentorship program. The program will strengthen the partnerships of all the CUNY senior colleges who are signed on to provide the tech program. This opportunity will create a pathway for business owners to become informed in a college classroom setting from knowledgeable professionals and over time can stimulate economic impact through the success of the business owners’ enhanced earnings. 

   The Tech Mentoring Program originated from the College of Staten Island, N.Y. Over time the program expanded into a partnership with four other senior colleges. The new partnership will also allow for the program to spread across the boroughs and establish a network in which a professional mentor will be available in the technology industry to teach at each CUNY college. The other colleges that are now part of the program include Medgar Evers College, Queens College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Brooklyn College and the Willowbrook Campus at the College of Staten Island. The program is aimed at entrepreneurs who want to learn how to better utilize technology as a business owner, maximize the latest trends that can potentially grow their business and better meet the demands of their clientele.