This EDA investment funds the hutch digital services incubator project

The Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a $1,323,450 BUILD TO SCALE (CFDA 11.024) grant to Fearless Solutions, LLC ("Fearless") to fund the Hutch Digital Services Incubator project. The project aims to scale Fearless' reach within focused verticals, expanding connections between mentors, digital services experts, and government administrators to accelerate innovation and transformation within federal agencies. The grant also provides coaching and training to young digital services companies to help them establish a strong foundation for success with government agencies, incorporating Lean Startup methodologies and U.S. Digital Service best practices. The goal is to create an ecosystem of minority-owned and woman-owned companies that reflect the demographics of the Mid-Atlantic region, attract entrepreneurial talent, and grow 45 new digital services firms by 2025, creating new job opportunities within underrepresented communities and achieving a 95% business success rate 5 years post-graduation.

Hutch will scale its reach within focused verticals, expanding to connect mentors, digital services experts, and government administrators to accelerate innovation and transformation within federal agencies. In addition, the project provides coaching and training to young digital services companies to help them establish a strong foundation for success with government agencies. Hutch becomes a home-base, fast-track path to understanding the intricacies of federal contracting, ensuring that the graduating firms are ready to "HIT the ground" running at the end of the intensive two-year program. The hutch curriculum incorporates the lean startup methodology with the usds playbook of 13 key "plays" to create a solid footing upon which entrepreneurs can exponentially scale their businesses and successfully deliver tech services to the federal government. Once implemented, the project goals are to create an ecosystem of minority-owned and woman-owned companies that reflect the demographics of the mid-atlantic region, attract entrepreneurial talent to the region and grow 45 new digital services firms by 2025, creating new job opportunities within underrepresented communities, and expanding the baltimore region, and achieve business success rate of 95% 5 years post-graduation.