The City University of New York has announced the creation of an emerging technology mentorship program that targets 250 small businesses owned by veterans, minorities, and women throughout New York City. The program will allow the entrepreneurs to take courses at five CUNY colleges, one in each borough of the city.
The lead institution is Lehman College in the Bronx. The Bronx Business Tech Incubator at Lehman College was established in 2017 to foster technological development for small businesses, tech freelancers and entrepreneurs from underserved communities in the Bronx by providing access to technology and training they otherwise would not be able to afford. The other participating institutions are Baruch College in Manhattan, New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn, Queens College, and the College of Staten Island.
Courses will introduce these local women entrepreneurs to the practical application of 5G technologies, artificial intelligence for small businesses and cloud computing, as well as other web-based tools and applications. The 12-hour introductory classes will be taught over four evenings or two days at each of the five colleges, with the aim of training 50 small business owners per borough.