The ECDC works collaboratively with the SURE™ Program at the C.T. Bauer College of Business. The SURE™ Program’s mission is to provide an educational platform that facilitates a value-added partnership between UH students, industry experts, and entrepreneurs from under-resourced communities. Specifically, the SURE™ Program provides FREE financial and business education, business consulting, and prepares entrepreneurs to access capital.

As part of ECDC’s collaboration with the SURE™ Program, ECDC student attorneys give presentations on business law topics at SURE™ Program events. The ECDC also receives referrals of potential clients through the SURE™ Program, many of whom attended past student attorney presentations.

The ECDC receives referrals of potential clients from the University of Houston Small Business Development Center (SBDC). SBDC’s goal is to strengthen the economy in southeast Texas by providing small business owners and entrepreneurs with business advising, access to training, and tools and resources to help small businesses start, grow, expand and succeed.

The ECDC receives referrals of potential clients from SCORE™ Houston. SCORE™ Houston, formerly known as Service Corps of Retired Executives, is an extensive network of volunteer mentors who offer small business owners and entrepreneurs practical business advice from the point of the business’s conception to its profitable growth. The volunteer mentors, whose expertise spread across 62 industries, offer FREE confidential business mentoring, FREE business tools, and FREE or inexpensive business workshops.