Mercer Innovation Center and SparkMacon are partnering to offer Start-Up Land, a business development program that is free and open to the public, designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who find themselves in the space between an initial idea and an actual business.
 
Registration is required and is available now at startuplandmacon.eventbrite.com. The program’s inaugural cohort will be limited to 20 participants.
 
The Start-Up Land program, composed of a series of workshops based on the Start-Up Land print piece produced by the College Hill Alliance, begins Jan. 31. The Alliance sunset in 2015 after generating more than $200 million in investment in the College Hill Corridor, a 2-square-mile area between Mercer University and Macon’s downtown business district.
 
Participants in the program will meet twice a month through April as they are led through a hands-on business development experience. Workshops are scheduled for Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 28, March 14, March 28, April 11 and April 25, each taking place from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Mercer Innovation Center.
 
“We are very excited to launch this new program through the Mercer Innovation Center and look forward to motivating new entrepreneurs,” said Stephanie Howard, deputy director of the MIC. “By partnering with SparkMacon we are able to support a variety or makers and innovators, and support the entrepreneurial efforts of Macon-Bibb.”
 
“This partnership will help bridge the gap between start-up entrepreneurs and local business resources, to help transform their business ideas into reality,” said Nadia Osman, director of SparkMacon. “The series will also reinforce our entrepreneurial ecosystem and add to our holistic approach to entrepreneurship, which begins with the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, a program that we partner with the MIC on already.”
 
The series will culminate with a business showcase in May, where participants will pitch and/or present their new businesses.