![\"Karen](\"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/picture-172.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\tOver the past two days, we celebrated the success of innovative small businesses that have grown, and we laid the groundwork for even more to follow in their<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
footsteps. <\/p>\n
\tFirst, on Tuesday, I met with about 50 businesses that have collectively created tens of thousands of good jobs through the Small Business Innovation Research program<\/a>. Each year, SBIR drives $2.5 billion in federal research and development dollars into the hands of small firms. The goal is to help entrepreneurs develop cutting-edge products and technologies that meet federal research and development needs and can be successful in the marketplace. We gave out the SBIR\u2019s Tibbetts Awards<\/a>, and we also inducted eight firms, including big names like Qualcomm and Symantec, into the SBIR Hall of Fame because of key SBIR funding in their formative years.<\/p>\n
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\tThen, on Wednesday, we rolled out one of the exciting new Startup America <\/a>initiatives, called the Entrepreneurial Mentor Corps<\/a>. To build on the excellent job that SBA counselors do to help Main-Street small businesses, we\u2019re aiming to provide targeted and tailored mentoring for high-growth small firms, in particular. Through the initial pilot with the U.S. Department of Energy, four clean-energy \u201cbusiness accelerators\u201d will match about 100 promising entrepreneurs with experienced mentors. The mentors will guide those small firms to the tools, opportunities, and contacts they need to get on the fast track to innovation, job creation and global competitiveness.<\/p>\n
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\tAs you can tell, these past few weeks have been particularly busy at SBA. Check out our Newsroom<\/a> and join us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> to keep up with what\u2019s going on.
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