Riverside Center for Innovation

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700 River Avenue Suite 531 Pittsburgh PA 15212
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Riverside Center for Innovation (RCI) provides incubation support, training, and innovative strategies to serve as a resource-rich and sustainable economic engine for all who live and work in the region. RCI provides direct services to small businesses, entrepreneurs, neighborhoods and communities along with developmental training and educational programs. RCI forms partnerships and collaborations with other service providers to expand the scope of services that we offer in assisting disadvantaged entrepreneurs by serving their needs.

Mission

Our mission is to engage in activities that cultivate a healthy environment for the region’s diverse entrepreneurs and small businesses to prosper.

Storytelling

Tina Daniels, Concrete Rose — Tina has an 18-month-old concrete company and has enrolled in our BizFIT Construction Entrepreneurial Training program. She has received all of her MWBE Certifications for her business, successfully funded and repaid a $5,000 Kiva Loan. She also has obtained OSHA 30 Certifications, $150,000 in bonding and in 2020 March will be moving her company into our incubator as it has just reached the $1,000,000 goal in revenues. Tina will be hiring 2 additional office workers for her organization by April 2020.

Morish Wilson, Ruby Painting — Morish has a 3 year-old painting firm that has enrolled in BizFIT in 2019. Morish received his MBE Certifications, OSHA 30 Certifications, $40,000 in bonding, and will be getting his firm’s revenues to over $750,000 by July 2020. Additionally, Morish now has 3 full-time staff in his company.

Our Impact (2022)

1,600 individuals served

30 training programs or workshops offered

15 funding partners

Use the icons to explore our impact metrics.

Pipeline

Expanding the number of entrepreneurs within a specific field or segment (i.e. training and coaching to create more entrepreneurs among high schoolers, more entrepreneurs in the tech industry, more entrepreneurs among women).

Removal of Barriers

Providing support to entrepreneurs to empower them and become more educated business owners (i.e. general business support, training in accessing procurement).

  • 1,600 Total number of individuals served

  • 1,200 Total number of new businesses started

  • 110 Total number of individual (1:1) technical assistance sessions conducted

  • 1,700 Total number of hours spent providing technical assistance

Type of Organization

  • Community Economic Development Organization
  • Nonprofit Organization

Locations Served

  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Key Programs and Initiatives

  • Diversity Business Resource Center
  • Kiva Pgh
  • BizFIT Entrepreneurial Construction Training

Types of Offerings

  • Financing
  • Capital
  • Entrepreneurial Training
  • Workshops
  • Matchmaking/networking opportunities
  • Business incubation
  • Cohort Training Programs
  • Certification assistance

Program Delivery

  • In Person

Members of the Black Community Served

  • Immigrants
  • Women
  • Veterans

Locations of Members of the Black Community Served

  • Low-income areas
  • Low to moderate income areas
  • Urban areas

Targeted Entrepreneur Segments

  • Business Services
  • Construction
  • Accommodation & Food Services

Business Stage

  • Start Up : a young business that is just beginning to develop and determine a market fit.

  • Stay Up : a business that has determined its market fit, but its product/service has not been validated nor has it achieved sustainability.

Cost of Programs

  • $501 or more