SBA Event Connects Small Businesses, Buyers

You could consider it speed dating for Connecticut’s small businesses.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Connecticut district office is hosting a unique event bringing together small businesses, government buyers, and prime contractors March 5 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

The CT Business Matchmaker is a full day of meetings, workshops, and networking focused on procurement and supply‑chain connections.

The SBA is organizing the event with state partners, including the Department of Administrative Services, the Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Women’s Business Development Council.

Matchmaking

The format centers on pre‑scheduled, one‑on‑one meetings.

These meetings connect small businesses directly with organizations that buy goods and services.

“This matchmaker event opens up a world of opportunities to these small business owners.”

SBA Connecticut’s Catherine Marx

Small businesses make up 99% of Connecticut’s businesses and employ nearly half the state’s workforce.

“This matchmaker event opens up a world of opportunities to these small business owners that they might not otherwise have,” SBA Connecticut district director Catherine Marx said. 

Buyers include large companies and prime contractors, as well as federal agencies and state, municipal, and tribal governments.

Participating Buyers

A number of CBIA members are among the participating prime contractors and buyers, including:

• Aquarion Water Company
• Avangrid
• Boehringer Ingelheim
• Charter Contracting Company
• Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense
• Eversource Energy
• General Dynamics Electric Boat
• Kamatics
• KMK Construction, Inc.
• Lockheed Martin / RMS Sikorsky
• Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
• Pratt & Whitney
• Sonalysts, Inc.
• The Cigna Group
• Triumph Group

Small businesses can request up to eight meetings, each lasting 12 minutes.

Businesses rotate between appointments, with brief transition periods between meetings.

During each meeting, businesses outline their services, experience, and certifications.

Supporting Small Businesses

Organizers say the event is not limited to companies actively pursuing contracts.

Businesses can attend to learn how procurement works, understand buyer expectations, and prepare for future opportunities.

The event features six workshops for small businesses at different stages of readiness.

Six educational workshops will take place alongside the matchmaking.

Topics include cybersecurity requirements, proposal writing, state DAS certifications and contracting portals, federal and state certification programs, and SBA working capital pilot initiatives.

The sessions are designed to support businesses at different stages of readiness.

Business Expo

The event also includes a business expo that runs throughout the day featuring more than 60 exhibitors.

Participants include government agencies, lenders, technical assistance organizations, and major employers.

The SBA has held similar, smaller events in the past, but this is the first large, in‑person statewide matchmaking event since before the pandemic.

More than 1,000 individuals have registered for the matchmaker event, with hundreds of meetings scheduled.

It’s also the first time they’re partnering with the state for this type of event.

More than 1,000 individuals have registered for the CT Business Matchmaker, with hundreds of businesses already scheduled for matchmaking meetings.

Supplier registration for matchmaking appointments closes Feb. 26.