Women's Business Center of Utah

What Women's Business Center of Utah does

Women's Business Center of Utah (WBCUtah) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 as a public-private partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Salt Lake Chamber, of which it operates as a subsidiary. The organization delivers free business advising, training, and resources to women entrepreneurs across all 29 counties of Utah, with primary offices in Salt Lake City (201 S Main Street #2300) and Cedar City (Cedar Business & Innovation Center, opened 2019). Its core offerings include one-on-one business advising, three signature cohort programs (Biz Spark for aspiring entrepreneurs, Minding My Own Business for solopreneurs, and Next Step for established businesses with 1+ employees), and a portfolio of digital tools including the WBCUtah Online Academy (powered by Moodle Cloud), downloadable business templates in English and Spanish, the Capital Roadmap funding resource, and the Utah Women-Owned Business Directory. The organization also maintains partnerships with approximately nine rural Chambers of Commerce, SCORE, SBDC, and the Utah Women & Leadership Project to extend its reach. Marketing and distribution are primarily digital (website, email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) supplemented by live in-person and virtual workshops across the state.

WBCUtah is funded primarily through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration under Section 632 of Public Law 117-328, providing $300,000 in annual federal share matched by $300,000 in non-federal contributions for a total program cost of $600,000. Supplemental revenue is generated through modest program registration fees ($0–$69 for Minding My Own Business), donations via the Donorbox platform, and customized annual sponsorship packages. The five-person core team (State Director, Northern Program Manager, Southern Program Manager, Business Advisor & Instructor, Business Advising Manager) serves approximately 1,300 entrepreneurs annually, and clients report $309.6M in funding accessed by Utah women business owners through WBCUtah support. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and was recognized in 2025 as the SBA Women's Business Center of Excellence.

Name

Women's Business Center of Utah

Legal name

Women's Business Center of Utah

Website

https://wbcutah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women's Business Center of Utah is a nonprofit founded in 1997 that delivers free business advising, signature cohort programs, and digital tools to women entrepreneurs across all 29 Utah counties, funded primarily through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SBA Cooperative Agreement Funding: Primary funding through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Federal share of $300,000 matched by non-federal share of $300,000 for a total program cost of $600,000. Includes both Northern and Southern grants.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Donations from individuals and organizations supporting the mission to empower women entrepreneurs in Utah.
3. Program Registration Fees: Signature programs like Minding My Own Business charge modest registration fees ($0-$69) to support program delivery, with scholarships available for those who need financial assistance.
4. Sponsorships: Customized annual sponsorship packages offered to organizations seeking visibility and engagement with Utah's small business community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Women's Business Center of Utah is a nonprofit organization that provides free one-on-one business advising, live in-person and virtual training workshops, cohort-based signature programs (Biz Spark, Minding My Own Business, Next Step), a self-paced Online Academy, downloadable business templates, and networking events to women entrepreneurs across all 29 counties of Utah. It also operates the Utah Women-Owned Business Directory and the Capital Roadmap funding guidance tool.

Product overview

The Women's Business Center of Utah offers a portfolio of service programs for women entrepreneurs at every stage of business. The core offerings include three signature cohort programs: Biz Spark (a free 4-week virtual course for aspiring entrepreneurs), Minding My Own Business (a 5-week intensive program for solopreneurs), and Next Step (a 7-week program for established businesses with employees). Supporting services include free one-on-one business advising (available in-person and virtually), an Online Academy for self-paced learning via Moodle, downloadable business templates and checklists, the Utah Women-Owned Business Directory, and a Capital Roadmap tool for funding guidance. The center serves all 29 counties across Utah through offices in Salt Lake City and Cedar City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Minding My Own Business (MMOB)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,300 entrepreneurs empowered over the past year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Rural Chambers of Commerce (Utah)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic partnerships with rural Chambers of Commerce across Utah to expand WBCUtah's reach beyond the Wasatch Front to women in all corners of the state, serving all 29 counties.
• Salt Lake ChambercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBCUtah is a subsidiary nonprofit of the Salt Lake Chamber. The center was founded in 1997 as a public-private partnership between the SBA and the Salt Lake Chamber. The Chamber provides organizational oversight and infrastructure support.
• Cedar Business & Innovation CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cedar Business & Innovation Center in Cedar City for the second office location opened in 2019 to serve Eastern and Southern Utah.
• Carbon County Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership for rural outreach and business support services.
• Cache Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership for rural outreach and business support services.
• Box Elder Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership for rural outreach and business support services.
• Cedar City Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership supporting the Cedar City office operations.
• Delta Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership for rural outreach and business support services.
• Heber Valley Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership for rural outreach and business support services.
• Springville-Mapleton Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional chamber partnership for rural outreach and business support services.
• SCOREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner providing business mentorship and expertise resources for women entrepreneurs.
• Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtah-based initiative supporting women's leadership and entrepreneurship in the state.
• We LiftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting women entrepreneurs and business development.
• SBDC (Small Business Development Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated support services for small businesses across Utah.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• DreamSpring: DreamSpring is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) providing small business loans, coaching, and advising to underserved entrepreneurs — overlapping with WBCUtah on advising/coaching and targeting a similar under-resourced demographic.
• Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC): WBENC focuses on certification and corporate supplier access for women-owned businesses, an adjacent but distinct service from WBCUtah's startup-stage advising — both serve the women entrepreneur ecosystem with overlapping audiences.
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): NAWBO is a dues-based membership association advocating for women business owners; it shares WBCUtah's women entrepreneur audience but delivers value through advocacy and networking rather than advising.

Direct peers

• Women's Business Centers (SBA National Network): WBCUtah is one of over 100 SBA-funded Women's Business Centers nationwide; peer WBCs in other states deliver the same Cooperative Agreement-funded mix of advising, training, and capital access support to women entrepreneurs.
• Springboard Enterprises: Springboard Enterprises is a nonprofit accelerator dedicated to women entrepreneurs, providing educational programming, networks, and access to capital — a comparable mission targeting the same women business owner demographic.
• Count Me In / Tory Burch Foundation: Count Me In (now part of the Tory Burch Foundation) provides business education, loans, and community support specifically to women entrepreneurs, directly mirroring WBCUtah's mission of empowering women business owners through advising and resources.
• SCORE: SCORE is a national nonprofit network of volunteer business mentors that provides free small business advising, workshops, and resources — a directly comparable service model to WBCUtah's free one-on-one advising and training programs. SCORE is even listed as an existing WBCUtah partner.
• America's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network: The SBDC network is an SBA-funded partner providing free business advising, training, and capital access guidance to small businesses nationwide — overlapping functionally and federally with WBCUtah's WBC and SBDC sister-program roles.

Broad incumbents

• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: 10,000 Small Businesses is a national business education and capital access program for small business owners, providing cohort-based training and advising comparable in structure to WBCUtah's signature programs (Biz Spark, MMOB, Next Step).

Others

• Salt Lake Chamber: The Salt Lake Chamber is WBCUtah's parent nonprofit and public-private partner since 1997, providing organizational infrastructure and oversight — included as an ecosystem participant rather than a competitive peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WBCUtah
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womens-business-center-utah
• Instagraminstagram.com/wbcutah
• Xx.com/utahwbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women's Business Center of Utah