News & Events

SUCCESSFUL ST. LOUIS ENTREPRENEUR, BRIAN SLAWIN, JOINS BEN FRANKLIN TO WORK WITH PA ENTREPRENEURS!

ERIE, PA – Ben Franklin Technology Partners/CNP announced today that Mr. Brian Slawin will be joining the Northwest PA team as its new Portfolio Manager/Regional Director starting November 30, 2015.  Brian comes to the Erie region from St. Louis, MO, having recently exited a start-up IT business that he co-founded in 2006.  In addition to successfully growing his own business, Brian has been an active member of the St. Louis entrepreneurship support system including their Angel Investor groups and mentoring programs.

Brian has a passion for helping people turn their ideas into companies by finding the most promising opportunities and then leveraging the available resources and assets to help the company grow. Throughout his career, he has helped build strong operating and sales teams, managed technology products, and brought them profitably to market. In addition, his experience raising capital and managing companies to exit will allow him to bring a unique perspective to the entrepreneurs who come to Ben Franklin for funding and business support services.

Prior to accepting the position with Ben Franklin, Brian was very involved in the startup ecosystem in St. Louis, leading educational programs and serving as a senior mentor to entrepreneurs and others. With a clear communications style and the ability to quickly evaluate and make meaningful contributions, Brian has already begun developing a broad network in the Erie community which includes economic development partners, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

Stephen Brawley, Ben Franklin’s President & CEO, commented, “We were fortunate to find someone with a proven track record in building a technology company from the ground up. Brian’s expertise in product development, commercialization techniques, and methods of securing follow-on funding will be a great asset to the entrepreneurs and small business owners we work with every day.”

“I’ve been looking for an organization like Ben Franklin since I caught the startup bug in the mid-90’s,” said Brian. “The opportunity to identify and help the most promising entrepreneurs and small manufacturers grow their companies and contribute to the region is going to be a great adventure.”

Brian, who was a commercial pilot and flight instructor, graduated from the Parks College of Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Aeronautical Science Degree in 1989 and attended Penn State University from 1984 – 1987. He and his wife, Sheri, are looking forward to their next “flight” which will bring them home to Erie. Brian can be reached at 814-898-6650 or at bks185@psu.edu.