Gov. Ned Lamont today officially launched a new website that will serve as a one-stop source of information for entrepreneurs looking to set up shop in Connecticut.
Information on what permits business owners need and from which agencies they need to seek them had previously been posted across multiple, sometimes obscure agency websites, said Josh Geballe, the state’s chief operating officer. But the new Business.ct.gov site asks users a series of questions about their business, and then gives them all the information to manage through the regulatory process.
“[In the past] we really have operated as agency silos, where if you’re starting a new business you really have to research,” Geballe said. “Entrepreneurs have told us it takes hours and hours their time, it’s confusing and it’s opaque.”
The new system was built by a five-member team within the Department of Administrative Services — with help from multiple other agencies — over the course of about six months, Geballe said. It’s funded with about $10 million in bonding committed to the project in January.
The site is still being worked on and new functions are being added, Geballe said. By the end of the year, users will also be to actually file startup paperwork through the website, rather than simply just accessing the documents, Geballe said.Â
The site operates on a cloud-based Salesforce platform.
