'30 jobs' project seeks $30K

SARASOTA — The Economic Development Incubation Facility, a local nonprofit, seeks $30,000 in donations from local businesses and individuals for a new project: 30 jobs in 30 days.

The EDIF says it recently bought a building in the Sarasota-Manatee region and plans to turn it into a business incubator, where it will host five for-profit startups. The hope, says EDIF founder Brian Caswell, is each new business in the incubator will generate six jobs over six months to a year. The incubator, adds Caswell in a statement, will be a place “where businesses can develop ideas and launch new ventures, and receive support and direction.”

But to help speed up the process, the EDIF has set up a fundraising campaign on indiegogo.com, a crowdfunding website. You can reach the EDIF's page by clicking here.

The project has raised $1,126 dollars in the first six days, according to an update on indiegogo. The funds, tax deductible, will go to a list of new building necessities. The list includes paint, carpet, furniture, and a security system. The building also needs plumbing, air conditioning and electricity.

Caswell, a onetime loan executive at Bank of America, also runs Sarasota-based Cazley Financing Solutions, a for-profit firm that invests in small businesses. For more on Caswell and Cazley Financing, click here.