BFTP CNP TechCelerator
Funds local entrepreneurs with accelerator support and pitching assistance to strengthen real-world implementation.
Eligibility · United States · US-PA
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The TechCelerator is a free, cohort-based accelerator programme operated by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania (BFTP CNP), one of four regional 501(c)(3) organisations that make up the Ben Franklin Technology Partners network. BFTP is funded by the Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA) and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). The TechCelerator runs annual cohorts at county level across the 32-county CNP footprint, targeting entrepreneurs at the early idea-to-business stage. The Erie County 2026 cohort ran eight weeks on Tuesdays from April 7 through June 2, 2026, with a virtual pitch finale on June 9, 2026. The competition awarded up to $15,000 in prize money to finalists at the live pitch event.
The programme is free to participants — no equity is taken and no repayment is required. Approximately six to eight finalists are selected per cohort for the live pitch finale. Cohort curriculum covers sales, marketing, and finance training, plus weekly group sessions with content experts and one-on-one mentorship (60-minute slots). Tools include Canvas LMS and Zoom. Eligible participants include local entrepreneurs, graduate students, professors, and university researchers in Erie County; other CNP counties run separate TechCelerator cohorts with potentially different prize structures and schedules. Qualifying ventures span service, retail, small manufacturing, and technology sectors.
The 2026 Erie cohort is closed. The TechCelerator recurs annually, and interested applicants should watch BFTP CNP (cnp.benfranklin.org) for 2027 cohort announcements. Because this is a prize competition rather than a research grant, there is no formal grant proposal or budget justification required; applicants prepare a pitch deck and business canvas assessed by judges at the finale. BFTP CNP headquarters is at Penn State University Park, with the Erie County cohort delivered virtually.
Free annual cohort accelerator for entrepreneurs in Erie County, PA, covering service, retail, small manufacturing, and technology ventures, with a pitch competition awarding up to $15,000.
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