Breaking Down Barriers

On this week’s episode economic opportunity champion Demetra Brown shares her journey to disrupt silos in the interest of better serving entrepreneurs in Dallas, Texas. As Senior Director with The DEC Network, Brown oversees the organization’s ecosystem-building coalition working to support underrepresented small business owners throughout the small business ecosystem. She and host David Ponraj explore innovative ways to increase access to capital for entrepreneurship to drive wealth creation in historically disinvested communities.

• Learn more about Demetra Brown's work at The DEC: thedec.co
• Learn more about Economic Impact Catalyst

A budding entrepreneur recently told Lyneir Richardson that “the 5 Cs of Credit are discriminatory.”  In 2022, Mr. Richardson believes that the clarion call for economic developers is how to address and change the systems in a way that makes entrepreneurship and capital access more inclusive. During this frank conversation, host David Ponraj and our guest, Lyneir Richardson, Executive Director of the Center For Urban Entrepreneurship And Economic Development at Rutgers University, discuss the challenging requirements of breaking down the barriers to capital access for BIPOC founders. The ultimate goal, in the words of Mr. Richardson, is creating opportunity for people, and in places, that other people overlook and undervalue; creating an open path to wealth creation for all. How do we do that? The first step is acknowledging that there is a problem. David and Lyneir discuss strategies for Economic Developers to heed the call and move the needle.

• Learn more about Mr. Richardon's work at Rutgers: www.business.rutgers.edu/cueed
• The Curb-Cut Effect: SSIR
• Learn more about Economic Impact Catalyst

In this episode drawn from two recent panel discussions hosted by Economic Impact Catalyst, we hear from visionary economic developers, entrepreneurship ecosystem builders, and policy experts about their efforts to fully recognize the impact of entrepreneurship-led economic development on our economy. The conversations span why small business is often ignored in economic development, how to tell better stories using data, and what levers seem to be most useful in accelerating entrepreneurship and small business creation in our communities.

The panels were recorded as webinars on December 6 & 8, 2021, and you can find a link to watch the webinars in their entirety in the show notes below. 

Panel discussions feature:

• Suzanne Perreault, Manager, Small Business Services, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
• Anne Strickland, VP for Entrepreneurial Development, National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE)
• Eric Weissmann, Executive Director, NEXT Greenville, SC
• David Ponraj, Founder & CEO, Economic Impact Alliance
• Garry Clark, President & CEO, Economic Alliance Snohomish County & President, NREDA
• Kim Lane, COO, Right to Start

Learn more about the panelists' work:

• Economic Alliance Snohomish County: www.economicalliancesc.org
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation: www.michiganbusiness.org
• NACCE: www.nacce.com
• NEXT: nextsc.org
• NREDA: www.nreda.org
• Right to Start: www.righttostart.org
• Watch the webinars: youtube.com/playlist

Learn more about Economic Impact Catalyst: economicimpactcatalyst.com

In this episode, host David Ponraj has a conversation with Dr. Saras Sarasvathy, esteemed Professor of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Ethics at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. She is a leading scholar on the cognitive basis for high-performance entrepreneurship, and author of the acclaimed books, “Effectuation: Elements of Entrepreneurial Expertise” and “Effectual Entrepreneurship.” During their discussion, we hear the backstory of David’s first failed business that prompted the launch of Startup Space, to help future entrepreneurs avoid the pitfalls that he faced. The concepts of Effectuation, customer voice versus customer skin, employee autonomy and mastery, and education problems versus resource constraint problems come into play during this intimate, lively conversation between two passionate change-makers who will no doubt help lead the charge to effectuate the future of entrepreneurship-led economic development.

Learn more about Saras' work: darden.virginia.edu

Learn more about Effectuation: www.effectuation.org

Learn more about Economic Impact Catalyst: economicimpactcatalyst.com

Show host, David Ponraj, recently sat down with a group of esteemed panelists, as part of a virtual webinar series hosted by Startup Space. The panelists include economic development and entrepreneurship support organization leaders in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan; each lending their personal experiences in building inclusive entrepreneurial opportunities within their region. With a focus on minority-owned, women-owned and microbusinesses, in particular, the discussion touches on creative ways to increase capital access for underrepresented business owners, data-driven decision making, inclusion and diversity storytelling, and who should be at the table driving policy. Gain some inspiration from these leaders as they share their unique strategies to support their distinct communities, while they learn and draw inspiration from each other during this deep-dive conversation.

Learn more about our guests and their work:

• Regina Ann Campbell - Build Institute
• Betty Francisco - Amplify LatinX, Boston Impact Initiative
• Mark Pelmore - Business Elevator
• Kim Vogel - Greenhouse

Learn more about Startup Space

Subscribe to the Discussion Series

Show host, David Ponraj, recently sat down with Ian Hathaway, co-author of The Startup Community Way, and VP of Capital at Techstars, as part of a virtual webinar series hosted by Startup Space. Hathaway is an investor, author, strategic advisor, and data scientist with expertise in technology startups, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. His views on what it takes to make a successful, enduring entrepreneurial ecosystem are regularly cited in The New York Times, The Economist, and Financial Times, and he is a frequent contributor on the subject to Harvard Business Review andThe Wall Street Journal. In this conversation about the practice of entrepreneurship-led economic development, Ian outlines seven types of capital that are important to build within an ecosystem for it to be attractive and prosperous. He explains the “measurement trap” entrepreneurship developers need to avoid and the two discuss how to focus on outcomes, in addition to statistics, through storytelling. Finally, Hathaway shares his advice on how ecosystem builders can avoid burnout. 

• Learn more about Ian's work at: ianhathaway.org
• Get the book, The Startup Community Way: startupcommunityway.com
• Learn more about Startup Space and the discussion series: startupspace.us

Dr. Dell Gines is a national thought leader in local economic growth, a Certified Economic Developer, and a Lead Community Development Advisor at the Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he focuses on communities of color and economically distressed communities. Show host, David Ponraj, recently sat down with Dr. Gines as part of a virtual discussion series centered on the practice of equitable economic development through entrepreneurship. A live audience joins in as the conversation digs deep into what makes a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. Dr. Gines stresses that it’s more than tracking hard data to campaign for funding. The magic is in the soft data; in knowing the stories and having a deep understanding of the lived experiences of the entrepreneur that the hard data doesn’t show. When it comes to funding, he says: “Data sells it, but relationships get you in the door. You’ve got to have both.”

Learn more about Dell's work at: www.iamdellgines.com

Learn more about Startup Space: www.startupspace.us

Join the Entpreneurship Development Discussion Series: www.startupspace.us/speakerseries

In this episode, host David Ponraj interviews Garry Clark, President & CEO at Economic Alliance Snohomish County in Washington state, serving almost a million residents. Garry shares his heartfelt, spoken word “Why,” and the arduous barriers to entry, early in life, that motivated him to become a changemaker. This timely conversation about addressing the real needs of underserved communities was recorded just as the SBA announced its new Community Navigator grantees, proving that noticeable changes in systemic barriers won't happen without action to move the needle. Garry shares that “to succeed in economic development, you must have passion for the work and a story to tell for your community, your county, and your entrepreneurs.” And Garry has a remarkable story to share.

Learn more Garry's work at: www.economicalliancesc.org

Learn more about Startup Space at: startupspace.us

In this episode, host David Ponraj interviews Danielle Patterson, Director at SeedCore Foundation in Bakersfield, CA. Danielle oversees the Kern Initiative for Talent & Entrepreneurship (KITE), a private-public partnership focused on entrepreneurship-led economic development. Danielle has the unique ability to see the ecosystem from the support side as well as from the entrepreneur side, having tried to navigate her local support system as a business owner. She says that, as an ecosystem builder, “Communication is key. You must understand the economic makeup of the county and listen to the partners and the founders. Listening will be your biggest tool.” Organizations must work together to support the founders, she says, ”it’s not about us, it’s about them.” 

Learn more about Danielle's work at: https://seedcorefoundation.org

Explore KITE at: www.gokite.org

Learn more about Startup Space at: www.startupspace.us

In this episode, host David Ponraj interviews Banks Benitez, co-founder and CEO of Uncharted, a social impact accelerator based in Denver, Colorado, to learn how they are addressing economic inequality in the U.S. The two discuss why Uncharted believes investing in early-stage ventures is the most strategic tool for wealth creation and empowerment and how they've built effective mentorship-driven programs for a portfolio of nearly 100 startups benefitting 47.5M lives and raising $254M. Later, David and Banks explore leadership, hiring, and purpose-driven team culture.

Learn more about Banks' work and the Uncharted portfolio at: www.uncharted.org

Learn more about how Startup Space catalyzes economic impact at: www.startupspace.us