Capital Access


An Entrepreneurial Preparedness Program of the

iCARE is a “one-stop-shop” where entrepreneurs can find out everything they need to know about financing a venture — where to find funding and how to get it, through a combination of coaching, mentoring, formal training, and merit-based access to the region’s best sources of venture capital and financial backing.

iCARE will assist entrepreneurs with capital and finance in five major ways:

  • Direct coaching and facilitation for entrepreneurs in the effective use of capital (financial management, investments, bank services, angel investment, grants, and debt financing.)

  • A series of workshops, training courses, and other outreach efforts that focus on training and educating entrepreneurs, business leaders, and young achievers in the tools necessary to successfully manage and grow their ventures and enterprises.

  • An internet portal dedicated to providing resources, online assistance, and educational tools & publications to assist entrepreneurs in the development of their plans and the securing of both conventional and non-conventional financing: governmental programs (SBA and others), non-government agencies, private equity, and other sources of capital.

  • 1st Source “Senior Fellows in Residence” assigned to work with Innovation Staff and entrepreneurs to “coach” them to success in better managing money, resources, and relationships.

  • 1st Source Bank becomes the lead sponsor of the Northeast Indiana Angel Network (AngelNET). The web portal will support both the entrepreneur and the angel investor as an online community for sourcing deal flow and doing angel-backed deals.


Your Venture May be Eligble for Funding

NIIC Capital Ventures helps to remove the financial hindrances from a venture’s path so that it can effectively launch and grow its business.   It is a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of the Innovation Center and supplies the capital needs of promising clients through gap financing pre-seed and start-up stage funding, asset-based leasing, and working capital loans.
  1. Gap financing – for uses like prototype development, feasibility studies, and business plan creation - is usually tied to a specific project and may be as large at $50,000.
  2. Asset-based leasing provides up to $25,000 for a client to lease equipment needed to enhance their operations while resident at the Innovation Center.
  3. Revolving working capital loans to help counter the cyclicality of the technology sales cycle may range from $5,000 to $15,000. 

Investments are made by NIIC Capital Ventures’ LEAP Fund, a $500,000 (to date) fund seeded by an investment from the City of Fort Wayne. It provides no return of capital to investors – instead all profits and ROI revolve and are reinvested into the Fund. The Executive Committee of the Innovation Center’s Board serves as the Board of Directors for NIIC Capital Ventures, assisted by a five-person Investment Committee selected by the Board Chair, and its investment recommendations follow a prescribed assessment, evaluation, and due diligence protocol.

For information on the iCARE program and how you can access iCARE services, call Remound Wright at 260-407-6462, or e-mail Remound.