CodeForAmerica

CodeForAmerica

With the launching of a new online business portal, called “BizPort,” and a Civic Innovation summit hosted yesterday, the city is making no secrets of its plan to push for innovation and tech-oriented tools to attract new talent and assist the growth of startups.

“Innovation happens when thought leaders from the community, academia, and local government come together to network and learn from each other,” said John Keisler, i-team Director in a statement. “We want to make government innovation a permanent part of the City of Long Beach.”

First up on the city’s agenda for the week was the release of BizPort, described as a “digital ombudsman to help entrepreneurs easily navigate the steps to start, manage and grow a business.”

“BizPort, our new Business Portal, was designed and conceived from the ground up by local entrepreneurs to give them the support and resources they need,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “Small businesses are crucial to our community, and BizPort will make the process of starting and running a business much easier in Long Beach.”

The major aim of the portal is to clarify and simplify the startup process for new businesses, speeding up the average wait for the issuance of business license from the current 12 days, linking businesses to each other and serving as an additional resource, according to the city.

The portal was created by the Code for America team, a nonprofit focused on bringing technology to municipalities.

 

A civic innovation summit, which took place yesterday, also highlighted the role technology plays in the city, featured thought leaders in the community and recognized entrepreneurs and innovators in the city.

Long Beach’s innovation summit and innovation week were a part of the countywide InnovateLA, a “celebration of the depth and breadth of innovation and entrepreneurship across Los Angeles County,” according to the city.

The events left on the innovation week agenda include the ArtOber First Friday Long Beach in Bixby Knolls.

For the full list of all innovation week events that occurred or are about to occur, click here.