Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Penn State SBDC is a publicly funded small business advisory center hosted at Penn State University, providing free consulting and training to small businesses across Pennsylvania as part of the SBA's nationwide SBDC network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) does
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a publicly funded small business advisory center hosted at Penn State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1997, it is part of the U.S. Small Business Administration's nationwide SBDC network and operates with a disclosed headcount of 14 employees.
The center delivers free one-on-one consulting, group training, and resource referrals to eligible small business owners across its service territory. Its service catalog typically spans business plan development, market research, financial projections, access-to-capital preparation, and government contracting assistance — services rendered by staff advisors and partner subject-matter experts rather than a self-serve technology platform.
Its business model is non-commercial and grant-funded. There is no pricing model or fee schedule because services are provided at no cost to qualifying small businesses. Operating capital is sourced from federal SBA cooperative agreements, state appropriations, and host-institution (Penn State) support, which is standard for the SBDC program. There is no equity raise, no commercial product revenue, and no per-engagement billing. The entity is therefore not an investment target in the conventional PE/VC sense, but rather a publicly chartered economic development program whose scale and continuity are governed by appropriations rather than markets.
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
- Website
- https://sbdc.psu.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Penn State SBDC is a publicly funded small business advisory center hosted at Penn State University, providing free consulting and training to small businesses across Pennsylvania as part of the SBA's nationwide SBDC network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Small Business Advisory Services
- NAICS
- All Other Business Support Services (561499), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)
Keywords
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Penn State SBDC provides no-cost business consulting, training, and resource services to qualifying small business owners as a publicly funded business assistance program. Services are delivered through a center hosted at Penn State University in University Park, PA, supporting entrepreneurs with advisory and educational programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Small Business Consulting
- Small Business Training Programs
- Small Business Resource Services
Companies that use Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalExpansion highlights1 record
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Kauffman Foundation: The Kauffman Foundation funds entrepreneurship research, education, and ecosystem development. While not a direct service provider, it is a peer in the small business development ecosystem, providing grants, research, and program funding that complements SBDC operations.
Emerging players
- Accion Opportunity Fund: Accion Opportunity Fund is a CDFI providing small business loans, advising, and support services to underserved entrepreneurs. It overlaps with SBDC services in the small business advisory space while adding a lending product.
- Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a tuition-free business education and support program for small business owners. It is an emerging player in the same free small business advisory/education space, funded by a corporate philanthropy model rather than federal grants.
Direct peers
- America's SBDC: America's SBDC is the national association representing all SBDCs including the Penn State SBDC. As the network umbrella, it is the closest operational peer and provides shared services, federal advocacy, and program standardization across all member centers.
- Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOC): VBOCs are SBA-funded centers providing business development services specifically to veteran entrepreneurs. They share the SBA funding model, free service delivery, and small business advisory mission with the Penn State SBDC.
- Women's Business Centers (WBC) Program: WBCs are SBA-funded centers providing free business training and counseling to women entrepreneurs. They share the same SBA funding source, free-service model, and small business advisory focus as the Penn State SBDC, making them direct operational peers.
- Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC): PTACs are federally funded centers helping small businesses win government contracts. They operate under the same SBA/DOD funding umbrella, with similar free advisory service models and small business target customers, often co-located with or hosted at universities.
- SCORE Association: SCORE is a federally funded nonprofit network providing free mentoring, workshops, and resources to small businesses — directly overlapping the Penn State SBDC's mission, service model (free, advisory-based), and target customer (US small business owners).
Broad incumbents
- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): The SBA is the federal parent funder and policy authority for the entire SBDC program. While the Penn State SBDC is grant-funded by the SBA, the SBA itself administers loans, contracting programs, and grants on a national scale — making it the broad incumbent in the same small business support ecosystem.
- Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA): MBDA is a federal agency under the US Department of Commerce that promotes the growth of minority-owned businesses through centers, capital access, and contracts. It shares the small business development mission with the Penn State SBDC but operates as a broader federal program.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) social profiles
Digital presencePenn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
What does Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) do?
Penn State SBDC provides no-cost business consulting, training, and resource services to qualifying small business owners as a publicly funded business assistance program. Services are delivered through a center hosted at Penn State University in University Park, PA, supporting entrepreneurs with advisory and educational programming.
When was Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) founded?
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Who are Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)'s main competitors?
Kauffman Foundation is listed as an others. Emerging players are Accion Opportunity Fund and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. Direct peers are America's SBDC, Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOC), Women's Business Centers (WBC) Program, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) and SCORE Association. Broad incumbents are U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).
Does Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) have an API?
No public API is recorded for Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
What industry is Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in?
Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC)'s product category is Small Business Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADABAF, Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs, with a secondary code of FSAKAGAI, SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans. Its NAICS code is 561499 and its SIC code is 8742.