Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the Smart Grid Cluster is a platform for promoting business growth and entrepreneurial activity: offering technical and business support to smart grid start-ups and small businesses, continuously identifying and disseminating technical and product needs, and connecting innovators to market opportunities and capital in order to speed the path to commercialization. The Cluster also engages leading corporations, investors and policy makers to ensure continued growth. The Smart Grid Cluster is supported through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as one of the 10 “Innovative Economies” selected in a national competition in September, 2010, and is managed by a partnership of Illinois’ leading energy organizations.