What is ISED Ventures?
We help Iowans start and grow their businesses, buy a home and become financially independent. We have helped launch over 200 small businesses in Iowa.
Many of our clients are poor. 46% of our clients are women who support a household on their own. Many more are recent immigrants who have low educational and technological skills. For them, business ownership is not merely a dream but a tool to support their
families and to grow their family wealth.
We are asking for your support because...
It is time for our participants to overcome the digital divide and use technology resources to grow their sales and better manage their businesses. We know that new technology, like social media and basic websites, can help ISED businesses reach more clients.
We see technology skills as vital to the ongoing success of our businesses. All of our clients can benefit from learning computer skills for their business.
Being able to integrate technology skills into our regular classes will help our clients grow their businesses and acquire important life skills. Our clients have tremendous dedication, energy and smarts- they just need the technology skills to go out and sell!
We offer business classes that benefit the community at low cost. Right now, the lack of a computer classes limits the classes we can offer. For example, we have never been able to offer Quickbooks classes.
As a women's business center, our schedule fits around a woman's life. Because most of our clients work during the week, we need to be able to teach throughout the weekend and in the evening. We are unable to do that right now.