In August the city of Erie gave five local small business grants of $4,000 each through the Flagship Fund. Whitethorn Digital was one of those five and Dr. Matthew White, the managing director of the company, says the funds helped with office space and equipment. The publisher of off-beat indie games has worked on several including a soon to be released kid's friendly game called "BOMBFEST". The company helps bridge the gap between the creative process and game completion.

However, they don't only stick to gaming. The company was recently part of a team that helped create a virtual reality experience with the Erie Philharmonic.

The city announced the launch of the Flagship Fund last summer. The micro-grant program is meant to help small businesses and start-ups in our area. The next round of Flagship Funds were set to be given this month and July.