Ben Kwitek – entrepreneur, inventor, angel investor and Director of Innovation at UCCS – has been named to the Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board.
SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced the advisory board members on July 1 in Washington, D.C. Kwitek is one of just six members nationwide named to the advisory board.
“I’m honored and humbled by this appointment from the SBA,” Kwitek said in response to the news. “Our 30-plus million small businesses in the United States really define our country and exemplify the American Dream. These entrepreneurs and business owners are often starting with nothing more than a good idea and a lot of determination. We must continue to support them – especially now, with the challenging headwinds of COVID-19.”
Kwitek continued, “When we think of American business success, companies like Amazon, Apple and Facebook are front and center. While their size and significance are unquestionable, they began as startups – small American businesses from Bezos, Jobs and Zuckerberg. I want to ensure that America is a place where the next trillion-dollar companies can start now. I hope that some of them begin at the Innovation Program at UCCS and help make Colorado a leader in job creation, economic growth and quality of life.”
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to American small business. Created in 1953, the SBA has recently come into the spotlight for creating programs for small business owners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Both programs have helped businesses keep their workforce employed during the crisis.
In addition to his role as an instructor of innovation and entrepreneurship at UCCS, Kwitek serves as a board member of IP2 at Stanford University. He is the founder of businesses including Gellyfish Technology, Roundabout Signs and InterForm Incorporated.
Kwitek will serve on the advisory board of the SBA’s Small Business Development Center, a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments to deliver counseling, training and technical assistance to small businesses nationwide. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.