Kauffman FastTrac Receives Sponsorship from AARP to Pilot Entrepreneurship Course for Baby Boomers

KANSAS CITY, Mo.(Feb. 25, 2013) – Baby boomers residing in New York City, Southern California and South Florida may soon find it easier to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship thanks to a new sponsorship agreement between Kauffman FastTrac and AARP. In an outreach to its membership, AARP has agreed to underwrite the bulk of expenses for 60 aspiring entrepreneurs age 50+ to enroll in a Kauffman FastTrac course.

Three pilot courses of FastTrac NewVenture™ for the Boomer Entrepreneur will be offered in 2013 by Kauffman FastTrac affiliates. Up to 20 qualified applicants will be accepted per course, and AARP scholarship funds will cover $500 of each participant’s course fees.

The three Kauffman FastTrac affiliates selected to participate in the baby boomer pilot are ProperoHCA, New York City; Tech Coast Venture Network, Irvine, Calif.; and the Miami Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., Miami. ProperoHCA has scheduled its weekly course for April 3-June 5. Tech Coast Venture Network plans to offer its Boomer course this summer. The Miami course, which will be taught in Spanish in an outreach to the region’s large Hispanic population, is also slated for a summer start.

“We look forward to partnering with Kauffman FastTrac to better serve our members interested in expanding their entrepreneurship business skills,” said Jody Holtzman, AARP’s senior vice president of thought leadership. “Through this coursework, they will acquire new insights and tools, explore available resources, and expand their networking opportunities to start and grow successful businesses.”

Content specific to baby boomers was recently added to the Kauffman FastTrac curriculum in recognition of changing U.S. demographics and research that finds a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity among Americans aged 55 to 64 than much younger age groups in recent years. The initial 10-week baby boomer class was held in fall 2012 in Kansas City.

“We believe there is pent-up demand for entrepreneurship education among more mature audiences,” said Kauffman FastTrac president Alana Muller. “Whether they’re pursuing a lifelong passion, shoring up their retirement accounts, or utilizing skills and experience in a new way, boomer entrepreneurs make big contributions to our economy by creating new businesses and, in turn, new jobs.”

To learn more or register to attend one of the three pilot courses of FastTrac™ TechVenture for the Boomer Entrepreneur, visit www.fasttrac.org/boomers.

About Kauffman FastTrac^®

Kauffman FastTrac is the leading global provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources and network to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the world devoted to entrepreneurship. For more information about Kauffman FastTrac, visit http://www.fasttrac.org and follow the organization on Twitter @fasttrac, like it on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/kauffmanfasttrac and connect on LinkedIn at www.fasttrac.org/linkedin.

About AARP

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial to them and society as a whole.