President Biden Focuses on Economy and Online Advertising in State of the Union Address 

President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, outlining his economic goals for the next two years. His speech also called on bipartisan support to ban targeted online advertising for children and teens.  

Source: Gizmodo 

 

Small Business Owners Give President Biden Poor Grades in New Economic Survey 

Before his State of the Union address, President Biden received grades of “C” and below from a majority of small business owners in a new survey. Many based the grades on issues with the government’s capital access and procurement programs.  

Source: CBSNews.com  

 

Black Small Business Owners More Optimistic About Economy This Year Than Their Peers  

81% of Black small business owners are more optimistic about their businesses in 2023, compared to 68% of the overall population, according to a new survey. Yet, nearly half of the owners needed to access personal savings in the last three months to stay afloat because of recent inflation. 

Source: Axios.com

 

SBA Announces New Competition to Fund STEM Entrepreneurs 

The Small Business Administration (SBA) will award up to $15 million in funding to STEM entrepreneurs through a new growth accelerator competition. The goal is to boost existing companies and fuel the commercialization of research and development ideas. 

Source: ExecutiveGov.com

 

Connecticut Grant Program Relaunches for Women Entrepreneurs 

The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) relaunched its Equity Match Grant Program, which provides Connecticut women-owned businesses grants of between $2,500 and $10,000. Applications will be accepted until February 28.  

Source: WestfairOnline.com