Page 40 - 914INC - Q1 - 2013

ACCESS.
ADVOCACY.
Westchester County Association
ACTION.
HOT YOUNG TECH COMPANY CHOSEN
AS FIRST PICK OF THE BLUEPRINT
ACCELERATOR NETWORK
PlanGuru to enjoy complimentary professional services, free rent for a year, access and mentoring—
all through the Accelerator Network
The first company to make it through the BLUEPRINT Accelerator Network vetting process has been announced.
PlanGuru, a young, dynamic software company that pro- duces budgeting/ forecasting/financial planning software for businesses and non-profits, is about to reap the benefits of the BLUEPRINT Accelerator, which was created to speed the growth of promising, early-stage companies committed to settling in Westchester County. The Accelerator is an impor- tant component of the WCA’s BLUEPRINT for Westchester, a revolutionary initiative to spur economic development and job creation in the county.
For the next year, PlanGuru will receive at no cost 1,635 square feet of office space donated by Reckson, a Division of SL Green, as well as pro bono marketing services courtesy of Harrison Edwards Inc. and search engine optimization services from Search Smart Marketing. In addition, PlanGuru will receive legal services and accounting services from part- ners in the network, and mentoring from the county’s cor- porate executives. The company will enjoy access to the rich intellectual capital of Westchester’s colleges and universities.
“This is fantastic opportunity,” said Christian H. Wielage, CEO of the growing firm which already boasts a base of over 800 customers—from young entrepreneurial startups to the
University of Singapore which budgets for hundreds of cost centers. Says Wielage: “With over 12.4 million small to medium sized businesses and nonprofits in the United States alone, the potential is tremendous. More important, we’ve found a good reason to headquarter in Westchester. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
Wielage had been living in Santa Fe, but returned to New York to work for IBM. During the past couple of years, he and a colleague toyed with the idea of further developing the software product that Wielage’s father had once invented. So, he left IBM and, with two colleagues, took a small shared office space in White Plains in which to build their business.
“We chose White Plains rather than other metro locations as it was a lot more affordable and you could easily catch an express train to the city,” he said. “But starting a new business can be a daunting process. Now that it’s time to scale the business, the Accelerator will take us to the next level on a much more aggressive route. It’s exactly what we need.”
To date, the BLUEPRINT Accelerator Network has attracted over $275 million in debt financing and investment. It is funded by the private sector and is overseen by a governance committee of business leaders.
To find out more about the BLUEPRINT Accelerator Network, visit www.blueprintforwestchester.com
or call Marissa Brett at 914.948.6444.
BLUEPRINT Accelerator investors are: BioMed Realty, Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, LLP, Celestial Capital, Citrin Cooperman, Community Capital New York, CMS Bank, Compufit, Cuddy & Feder, LLP, George Comfort & Sons, Greater Hudson Bank, Harrison Edwards PR, Heritage Realty, Heyman Properties, Key Bank, NA, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, Mahopac National Bank, M & T Bank, Normandy Real Estate Partners, O’Connor Davies LLP, Provident Bank, Reckson, a Division of SL Green Realty Corp., RPW Group, Search Smart Marketing, The Westchester Bank, Webster Bank.
PlanGuru's founders (l-r):
Christian Weilage, CEO; Taylor Wielage, CFO; and Tripp Graham, Marketing Director at the company's new headquarters in White Plains.