Indiana Awards Notre Dame $40,000 for AI Mentor for Low-Income Entrepreneurs
Updated
Updated · South Bend Tribune · Jul 30
Indiana Awards Notre Dame $40,000 for AI Mentor for Low-Income Entrepreneurs
1 articles · Updated · South Bend Tribune · Jul 30
Summary
Nearly $40,000 from Indiana will fund Notre Dame’s AI Pocket Mentor, a 24/7 business-coaching platform for low-income and disadvantaged entrepreneurs in its Urban Poverty and Business Initiative.
The tool is designed to complement the program’s 10-and-a-half-month, in-person model by guiding users through 80 steps to financial sustainability, tracking progress and offering bookkeeping and financial-literacy help.
Notre Dame says the AI system will tailor advice by location and language, reflecting differences in tasks such as opening business bank accounts across countries and regions.
Since launch, the initiative has expanded to 60 cities worldwide; more than 11,000 entrepreneurs have completed it, leading to over 4,000 businesses and 4,500 jobs.
South Bend remains the largest site, with 70 entrepreneurs selected each year and about 150 people on the waitlist, underscoring demand as the program looks to widen support.