Small Business Ecosystem Guide
Sarasota County values our businesses, and strives to contribute to their success through this network of providers.

Small Business Ecosystem
Download the Small Business Ecosystem, a resource to guide companies through the landscape of business assistance that exists in Sarasota County.
How Can We Help?
Contact Destin Wells, VP of Business Development, to see how we can help you thrive in Sarasota County.
This booklet is intended to guide companies through the landscape of business assistance that exists in Sarasota County. There are a myriad of local organizations whose core missions are to help local businesses grow through the provision of workforce assistance, consulting services, regulatory assistance, industry expertise, networking, various grants, and incentives.
This guide will highlight these organizations, with explanations of their purpose, programs and means of contact. Any of the organizations in this guide are well equipped to handle your needs in their specific area, as well as help you integrate with any of the other providers that can deliver value.
In this guide you will learn more about EDC Partners:
Chambers & Business Associations
Networking, community integration, training
- Downtown Sarasota Alliance
- Gulf Coast CEO Forum
- Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance
- Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce
- North Port Chamber of Commerce
- Sarasota-Manatee Manufacturers Association
- The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
- Venice Area Chamber of Commerce
Business Education Resources
Financing
Access to Capital
Workforce Development/Assistance
Find, train, upskill employees
Higher Education
Business research and collaboration, internships
- Keiser University
- New College of Florida
- Suncoast Technical College
- University of Florida Innovation Station
- University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee
Growth Assistance
Consulting, export assistance, grants, incentives, mentoring, regulatory assistance, rapid permitting, small business loans
- EDC of Sarasota County
- Enterprise Florida
- FloridaMakes
- Florida High Tech Corridor
- Florida Virtual Entrepreneurial Center
- GrowFL
- SCORE Manasota
- Port Charlotte SCORE
- Small Business Development Center
Small Business Ecosystem
Download the Small Business Ecosystem, a resource to guide companies through the landscape of business assistance that exists in Sarasota County.
How Can We Help?
Contact Destin Wells, VP of Business Development, to see how we can help you thrive in Sarasota County.