Intuit to Support Entrepreneurs Via $37 Million Commitment to Startup America Partnership

GoodBiz113 ad partner Intuit Inc. [Nasdaq: INTU] will commit to investing $37 million in products and services to promote high-growth entrepreneurship across the country, in partnership with President Obama's Startup America initiative.

Intuit's commitments include special offers and pricing over a three-year period for the company's flagship products and services -- including QuickBooks Online, Intuit Payroll Services, QuickBooks Merchant Services and Intuit Websites -- which will become available to Startup America Partnership member companies.

Intuit will also look to add other offerings, and tap into the expertise of its ecosystem of accounting professionals and banks, credit unions and other financial institutions.

The partnership announcement from Intuit and a number of other Silicon Valley technology firms comes in conjunction with a series of events being held today at Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, Cal., to support entrepreneurs and small business.

Today's events include:
* A Shared Responsibility and Shared Prosperity Town Hall at 1:45 p.m. Pacific time, at which Obama will speak;
* A Startup America panel discussion immediately following the Town Hall at approximately 4:00 p.m.; and
* A Women in Technology roundtable, moderated by White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.

Organizers expect approximately 1,000 entrepreneurs and Facebook employees to attend the events, which can be seen on Facebook's livestreaming platform, Facebook Live at http://apps.facebook.com/facebooklive.

"Entrepreneurs and small businesses play a major role in the economic recovery," said Kiran Patel [pictured], executive vice president and general manager at Intuit. "We are pleased that supporting and celebrating entrepreneurs is a major priority for President Obama's economic strategy, and are happy to contribute to this partnership. With millions of small-business owners trusting us to help run their businesses, it's our responsibility to play an active role in this collective effort to spark new job growth."

Small businesses have had a significant effect on the economy for more than a quarter-century.

"Young businesses have created 40 million jobs during the past 25 years, and the need to create a strong ecosystem for startups in our country is more paramount than ever," said Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership. "These new partnerships will go a long way toward ensuring that start-ups have every chance to succeed."

The commitments from Intuit and other firms will help companies at varying levels of the new business life cycle. This ranges from those just getting started to those in an initial growth phase, plus others with significant staff and revenue growth. In the coming weeks, the Startup America Partnership will introduce a new, free membership program that will allow young companies to apply for resources to help them grow.

Further information about the Startup America Partnership and a full list of partner commitments is available at the organization's new website at www.StartupAmericaPartnership.org. The partnership can also be found at www.twitter.com/startupamerica and www.facebook.com/startupamerica.

About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers; and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services -- including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax® -- simplify small-business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing.

ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.5 billion in its fiscal year 2010. The company has approximately 7,700 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

Quick Links
* Intuit Small Business Blog: http://intuit.com/blog
* Intuit Small Business on Twitter: http://Twitter.com/intuit
* Intuit Small Business on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/Intuit

SOURCES: Intuit Inc., Startup America Partnership, The White House
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Startup America Partnership Names Lifelong Entrepreneur Scott Case CEO

Today, the Startup America Partnership -- the private-sector alliance launched at the White House on Jan. 31 to celebrate and accelerate entrepreneurship -- announced the appointment of seasoned entrepreneur Timothy "Scott" Case [pictured] as its chief executive officer.

"Whether starting and growing entrepreneurial companies like Priceline, or scaling critically important public-private partnerships like Malaria No More, Scott has demonstrated a unique ability to bring innovative ideas to life," said Steve Case, chairman of the Startup America Partnership. "I can think of no one better suited to lead the Startup America Partnership.”

Scott is currently CEO of Malaria No More, a public-private partnership he helped start in 2006 to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015, and will remain with the organization as a vice chair. After transitioning his duties, he will start fulltime as CEO of the Startup America Partnership on March 14.

"I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life, and have helped build hyper-growth companies that transformed the lives of employees, customers and clients," said Scott Case. "I’ve also experienced the challenges entrepreneurs face firsthand as they seek to build great companies. I’m delighted to lead the Startup America Partnership, as I believe driving American entrepreneurship is critical to creating jobs and sustaining our nation's global leadership."

Prior to Malaria No More, Scott was involved in several entrepreneurial startups -- including Priceline, the "name your own price" company that was one of only a handful of startups in U.S. history to reach a billion dollars in annual sales in fewer than than 24 months. As co-founder and chief technology officer, he was responsible for building the technology that enabled Priceline's hyper-growth.

Previously, Scott helped build a portfolio of intellectual property at the Walker Digital Invention Laboratory, and is a named inventor on dozens of U.S. patents. Scott also co-founded Precision Training Software, a software company that developed the world's first PC-based simulated flight instructor and photo-realistic flight simulator.

Scott also serves as the chairman of Network for Good, a national nonprofit that has distributed more than $475 million to 60,000 nonprofits, and provides online fundraising and communications services to more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations.

About the Startup America Partnership
The Startup America Partnership is an alliance of the country’s most innovative entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations and other private-sector leaders working to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of high-growth enterprises in the U.S.

The Partnership was created as an independent, private-sector response to President Obama’s Startup America initiative, a White House campaign to celebrate, inspire and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation.

AOL co-founder Steve Case chairs the Partnership, and the Kauffman and Case foundations are founding partners, providing initial funding and strategic guidance.

For more information about the Partnership, visit www.startupamericapartnership.org, and follow at www.twitter.com/startupamerica and www.facebook.com/startupamerica.

SOURCE: Startup America Partnership
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