Mississippi and Indiana SBDC networks adopt Catalyzer for statewide rollout

Economic Impact Catalyst said Mississippi SBDC has finished a statewide deployment of Catalyzer, while Indiana SBDC is preparing a rollout by year-end after a three-month pilot. The move shows how state small-business networks are shifting from fragmented systems to connected platforms aimed at saving advisor time and improving outcome reporting.

Why it matters: - State Small Business Development Centers are under pressure to do more than count counseling sessions. Funders and public agencies want evidence of business starts, capital access, job creation, revenue growth, and community impact. - Catalyzer is designed to reduce administrative work for advisors and give leaders better visibility into program performance. - Mississippi’s statewide launch and Indiana’s planned rollout suggest the small-business support field is moving toward shared operating infrastructure.

What happened: - Economic Impact Catalyst announced deployments of Catalyzer across two state SBDC networks. - Mississippi SBDC has completed a statewide rollout of the platform. - Indiana SBDC is moving toward a statewide rollout by year-end after a three-month pilot. - Regional trainings in Indiana begin next week. - David Ponraj, EIC founder and CEO, joined the Mississippi team in August for statewide training and launch activities.

The details: - Catalyzer combines intake, client management, advising, program delivery, referrals, workflows, capital connections, and impact reporting in one operating environment. - AI can be embedded throughout the workflow to support documentation and cut repetitive tasks. - Mississippi counselors now work in a unified environment for managing entrepreneurs and businesses. - Mississippi leaders get real-time visibility across the statewide network. - Indiana’s rollout is being staged through a pilot-first approach before statewide expansion. - Four core functions drive the deployments: AI-assisted documentation and workflow automation; integrated intake, advising, program management, referrals, and reporting; real-time network-level visibility; and a more connected entrepreneur experience across technical assistance, ecosystem resources, and access to capital. - EIC said the goal is to let information follow the entrepreneur, give advisors the context they need, and help funders understand the outcomes their investments produce. - Catalyzer is also used by Women's Business Centers, APEX Accelerators, Veterans Business Outreach Centers, CDFIs, economic development organizations, incubators, and other small-business support groups. - EIC said its platforms serve organizations across more than 35 states. - EIC said its technology has supported more than 100,000 small business owners and helped facilitate more than $200 million in capital to underrepresented entrepreneurs. - Economic Impact Catalyst was founded in 2018, is headquartered in the Tampa Bay area, and says it is bootstrapped and profitable. - EIC’s platform suite includes Catalyzer, Startup Space, and LenderImpact. - More information is available at the company’s website.

Between the lines: - The announcement frames the problem as infrastructure, not staffing. That is a direct challenge to legacy program management tools that leave advisors buried in admin work. - Mississippi’s completed rollout and Indiana’s measured expansion provide two proofs points for the same pitch: modern software can standardize delivery without replacing the human advising relationship. - The emphasis on AI is narrow and operational. The pitch is less about automation replacing staff and more about clearing routine documentation off their desks.

What's next: - Indiana SBDC will train regions beginning next week and continue toward a statewide launch by year-end. - EIC said it plans to expand Catalyzer across more SBDCs and other entrepreneurship support networks. - The broader rollout will test whether connected infrastructure can improve advising efficiency, reporting quality, and capital access at scale.

The bottom line: - Mississippi is already live, Indiana is close behind, and EIC is betting that small-business support organizations are ready to modernize the systems behind their services.