The Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its affiliates, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerceand the Pennsylvania Economy League - Western Divisionoffer an extensive source of services and information.
Organizations like the Idea Foundry, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse and the Technology Collaborative exist to help entrepreneurs plan and implement the launch of their businesses. (Search the EQ Guide to find additional agencies for entrepreneurial assistance.) And the City of Pittsburgh''s Urban Redevelopment Authority, Allegheny County's Economic Development Agenicies and Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development government agencies can help you to start or relocate your business in the area.
External Economic Development Resources
The Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its Affiliates work in collaboration with public and private sector partners to stimulate economic growth and enhance the quality of life in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Conference is a private sector leadership organization with over 300 Regional Investors. Regional Investors – all heads of our region's employers – provide civic leadership to execute a focused agenda for regional improvement.
The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) has one mission: To globally market southwestern Pennsylvania and support existing regional employers to grow jobs and capital investment.
The Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce advocates for business climate improvements to create an even more competitive regional environment for new and existing businesses. Chamber members range from Fortune 500 companies to international conglomerates to entrepreneurial, single-employee businesses and have access to membership benefits and services.
The Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania, LLC, is a nonprofit, civic organization whose mission is to provide the research and analysis for the business, civic, and governmental leadership of southwestern Pennsylvania in efforts to effect change to make our region a better place to live, work, and do business.
Idea Foundry is a non-profit organization that supplies the critical ingredients for transforming an entrepreneur's business idea into a Pennsylvania-based, fundable start-up. We bridge the gaps between business skills, knowledge, funding and relationships that are critical when launching your own Information Technology and Engineering related enterprise.
The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse (PLSG) provides capital investments and customized company formation and business growth services to our region's life sciences enterprises. We support biosciences companies with promising innovations in the following concentrations: Biotechnology Tools, Diagnostics, Healthcare IT, Medical Devices, and Therapeutics. We’re propelling the sustainable growth of southwestern Pennsylvania’s life sciences economy by accelerating research and technology commercialization with seed and early-stage companies; connecting investors with our Investment Portfolio companies; expanding established life sciences ventures; and relocating biomedical companies to Pennsylvania.
Technology Collaborative
The Technology Collaborative (TTC) is a newly formed economic development organization which is the direct result of merging the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse and the Robotics Foundry. Our mission is to help increase Pennsylvania's technology-based economy by developing collaborating industry clusters that leverage the region's world-class assets in Advanced Electronics, Cyber Security, and Robotics.
The EQ Guide contains a variety of not-for-profit agencies in Southwestern Pennsylvania that offer business assistance to entrepreneurs.
Through a suite of loan programs, the URA's Business Development Center (BDC) helps Pittsburgh businesses leverage the capital necessary for their growth and success. Whether your business is building a new facility to accommodate expansion, seeking working capital to underwrite growth, purchasing or leasing new equipment, or all three, the URA is ready to assist.
Helping existing and new businesses grow and prosper, and preparing sites for private investment are the fundamental objectives of the Business Development, Development and Special Projects and Finance Divisions. Allegheny County is dedicated to expanding and diversifying the region’s economic base to improve the quality of life for our citizens and businesses.
The goal of the Department of Community and Economic Development is to foster opportunities for businesses and communities to succeed and thrive in a global economy, thereby enabling Pennsylvanians to achieve a superior quality of life.
