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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Entrepreneur Steve Case Named to President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness

This just in: Steve Case [pictured], co-founder of AOL, CEO of Revolution LLC, and chairman of the Case Foundation, has been appointed to the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness [PCJC], launched last month by President Barack Obama.

"I am gratified by the President's decision to appoint me to the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness," said Case. "As chair of the Startup America Partnership, and as someone who has been an entrepreneur myself and dedicated my career to fostering and investing in entrepreneurship, I look forward to using this opportunity to serve as a voice for anyone who has launched, funded, or been a part of starting a new business. These startups and speedups are the source of extraordinary job growth, vitality, and innovation in our economy, and deserve our support.

"I look forward to working with the Council, and ensuring that the efforts of the Startup America Partnership to support high-growth entrepreneurship are closely aligned with the Administration’s overall jobs and competitiveness strategy."

About the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness
PCJC was initiated "to strengthen the Nation's economy, ensure the competitiveness of the United States, and to create jobs, opportunity, and prosperity for the American people by ensuring the availability of nonpartisan advice to the President from participants in and experts on the economy."

Click here to read the full Executive Order that introduced PCJC.

About the Case Foundation
The Case Foundation, created by Steve and Jean Case in 1997, invests in people and ideas that can change the world, with the ultimate goal of making giving back a part of everyday life. The Foundation creates and supports initiatives that leverage new technologies and entrepreneurial approaches to drive innovation in the social sector, and encourage individuals to get involved with the communities and causes they care about.

For more information, visit www.CaseFoundation.org, and follow them at www.twitter.com/casefoundation and www.facebook.com/casefoundation.

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 on the Partnership, visit www.startupamericapartnership.org, and follow them at www.twitter.com/startupamerica and www.facebook.com/startupamerica.

SOURCES: 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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White House Announces Startup America Partnership to Foster Innovative, High-Growth Firms Throughout U.S.

Today, as part of President Obama’s national strategy to stimulate economic growth and the creation of quality jobs, the White House announced the launch of the Startup America Partnership.

Chaired by Steve Case -- co-founder of AOL, CEO of Revolution LLC and chairman of the Case Foundation -- the Partnership will receive launch funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Case Foundation, and act as an independent private-sector alliance intended to dramatically increase the development, prevalence and success of innovative, high-growth U.S. firms. Carl Schramm [pictured], CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, will serve as a founding board member of the effort.

The Startup America Partnership will work closely with the White House to advance the goals of its Startup America initiative. The Partnership will bring together top entrepreneurs, startup firm funders, CEOs, university presidents, foundations and other leaders to help entrepreneurial companies start or grow. Partners -- including corporations, foundations, startup funders, CEOs and others -- will contribute funds to existing proven models, or develop new programs and efforts to help entrepreneurs.

"America's story has been forged in large part by entrepreneurs who have, against great odds, created innovative products and services that have changed the world -- and created millions of jobs," said Case. "Our nation once again looks to these creative risk-takers to unleash the next wave of American innovation, and I am pleased that President Obama has made supporting and celebrating entrepreneurs a major priority of his economic strategy. I am honored to chair the Startup America Partnership, and look forward to working with the White House to champion the creation of new startups, and help accelerate the growth of speedups."

"We are pleased to help lead this partnership," said Schramm. "At Kauffman, it is our mission to develop and fund programs to support entrepreneurs, and to help educate policymakers about the role that entrepreneurship and innovation play in our society. This partnership will bring together partners from across the private, public and nonprofit sectors, working together toward a common goal: supporting the entrepreneurs who are the lifeblood of our economy."

To Date, More Than a Dozen Firms and Organizations Have Joined the Startup America Partnership. They Include the Following Commitments:
* Increased corporate investment and support for startups from companies such as Intel, HP, IBM, Facebook and others, including:

>> Intel Capital will commit $200M of new investment in U.S. companies. Senior Intel leadership will also serve the Startup America Partnership and share best practices from years of successful programs designed to support Intel portfolio companies.

>> IBM will invest $150 million in 2011 to fund programs that promote entrepreneurs and new business opportunities in the U.S.

>> HP is investing more than $4 million in 2011 in the HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs [HP LIFE], a global program launched in 2007 that uses educational and technology outreach aimed at helping entrepreneurs and small-business owners create and grow commercial opportunities.

>> As part of Facebook's ongoing commitment to encourage entrepreneurs, the company will launch Startup Days, a new series of 12 to 15 events around the country designed to provide entrepreneurs with access to expertise, resources and engineers to help accelerate their businesses.

* To foster entrepreneurship through higher education, as part of its overall $50 million commitment to entrepreneurship, The Blackstone Charitable Foundation has announced a $5 million expansion of the Blackstone LaunchPad program piloted at two Detroit colleges. Based on a model created by the University of Miami, LaunchPad will be replicated over the next five years in five other distressed regions around the country.

* The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship [NFTE], a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurship education for at-risk high-school students from low-income communities, is launching new programs supporting young entrepreneurs and their teachers. Ernst & Young LLP will honor NFTE youth entrepreneurs at regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award® galas across the country, bringing important attention to the next generation of young entrepreneurs. The Pearson Foundation is working with NFTE to build its Digital Teacher Network, a free online community for teacher collaboration and training that will be used not only by NFTE’s 5,000 certified teachers, but also by any educator interested in entrepreneurship. Google is sponsoring two new efforts in NFTE’s Bay Area programs: The Flat Classroom Exchange will allow local educators to team-teach the NFTE program in real time and leverage each teacher’s individual expertise, while the Makers Class project will integrate NFTE’s curriculum with invention and engineering lessons. New Markets Education Partners is providing NFTE with seed capital to launch in 2011 an interactive, online business planning course and social network connecting mentors, teachers, and students.

The Startup America Partnership Will Continue to Marshal Private-Sector Resources to Spur Entrepreneurship in the U.S., With a Focus on Three Key Areas:
* Acceleration and Scale: Replicate successful community-based entrepreneurship accelerator programs; encourage increase in experienced mentors to support startups; and encourage partnerships with large companies to serve as customers or funders of current firms.

* Education: Identify resources to help expand high-impact entrepreneurship education throughout the country.

* Commercialization: Increase the number of colleges and universities committed to commercialization outcomes, through efforts that include clearing the path to market for primary research; supporting the extension of successful accelerator programs; and spurring regional ecosystem development, faculty engagement, and streamlined technology licensing.

For more information about the Startup America Partnership and to see a full list of partner commitments, visit www.startupamericapartnership.org, and follow the Partnership on www.twitter.com/startupamerica and www.facebook.com/startupamerica.

About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare.

Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies.

For more information, visit www.kauffman.org, follow the Foundation on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

About the Case Foundation
The Case Foundation, created by Steve and Jean Case in 1997, invests in people and ideas that can change the world -- with the ultimate goal of making giving back a part of everyday life.

The Foundation creates and supports initiatives that that leverage new technologies and entrepreneurial approaches to drive innovation in the social sector, and encourage individuals to get involved with the communities and causes they care about.

For more information, visit www.CaseFoundation.org, and follow them at www.twitter.com/casefoundation and Facebook.com/casefoundation.

SOURCES: Case Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, Startup America Partnership
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