The Multiplier Effect

Today we are joined by Anna Mason, Managing Partner at Rise of the Rest. Revolution’s Rise of the Rest® Road Trip with Steve Case is a nationwide effort to work closely with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems. She shares her unique perspective on how the most compelling investment opportunities in the next decade will emerge from startups in cities based outside the coasts. 

Through a diverse coalition of public and private partners, led by George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), Tulsa Innovation Labs is creating economic development programs that seek to make Tulsa the nation’s most inclusive tech community. They focus their efforts on five specific areas: energy tech, drones, cyber, analytics, and virtual health. As innovation moves more into America’s heartland, Tulsa is no exception, as it has become a growing hotspot for tech startups, small businesses, and nonprofits and is anchored by leading aviation, cyber, energy, and healthcare companies. In today's episode, Shauna shares how Tulsa Innovation Labs is launching big projects with transformative impact. 

Robin Wallis Atkinson, CEO of INTERFORM, shares how art and innovation intersect, promoting the thriving economic development we see across the world and how her team at INTERFORM supports designers and artists in Northwest Arkansas by providing education and resources needed to create a self-sustaining design-led fashion and arts industry.

Devon Laney is a tech entrepreneur and also has over 15 years of experience in building thriving entrepreneurial & innovation ecosystems. Devon has also spoken in both the U.S. and internationally on entrepreneurial development, business incubation, and innovation, and currently serves as the Board Chairman of the International Business Innovation Association. And today, Devon talks with Canem about how his team is maximizing its momentum and finding new, fresh ways to serve and elevate the Tulsa community through entrepreneurial support made possible by 36 Degrees North.

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) is on a mission to create economic opportunity by attracting higher-paying jobs, expanding and diversifying our state and local economies, increasing incomes and investment, and generating positive growth throughout the State. And today, Katherine Holmstrom shares with us how her team has managed projects resulting in millions of dollars invested in the State, as well as new infrastructure and job growth in our local communities. Listen in to hear how AEDC is helping to create a growing economy for entrepreneurs and innovators to thrive. 

Edward Haddock, District Director for the Arkansas District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration is responsible for the delivery of all SBA programs and services as well as coordination between the SBA, the district’s Small Business Development Centers, SCORE chapters, and the Women’s Business Center throughout the State. And in this episode, he shares a variety of programs and services delivered by the SBA include the loan guaranty program, which is delivered through more than 50 eligible lenders, assistance in government contracting, export development, and entrepreneurship training.

In episode 33, Mary Beth Brooks, director of the ASBTDC at the University of Arkansas, shares how in 2020, 5,876 Arkansans in our region received consulting, cutting edge market research, and educational events at no charge through resources at the ASBTDC. Mary Beth and her team are a go-to resource for founders in Arkansas to expand their expertise and scale their companies. 

In this week's episode, James Bell, Vice President of Entrepreneurship at the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, discusses the strategic and tactical approaches Northwest Arkansas has taken to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem through industry recruitment and how we support small businesses and startups as they scale. 

Today, we’re joined by Katie Thompson, Director of the Science Venture Studio and Founder of Rooted Startups to learn how her team helps early-stage science and technology companies prepare and submit Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) proposals. She shares with us the process of submitting the proposals, how University students and companies are matched during the program, and virtual events available to those interested in learning more. 

Today we’re joined by Katie Milligan from Heartland Forward. Heartland Forward is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “think and do tank” focused on improving economic performance in the center of the United States. They believe that transformative research concentrates on factors that impact the American Heartland’s economy through innovation, such as research development and commercialization, human capital formation and labor force skills training, entrepreneurship awareness and capacity, access to early-stage risk capital, and issues around immigration, demographics, health status, and quality of place. Heartland Forward is based in Bentonville, Arkansas, but their work focuses on the entire Heartland region. Today Katie shares with us how they help to support communities through local programs and resources driven by their research and shares a sneak peek of their 2021 Heartland Summit as they bring together leading thinkers, innovators, and investors, to create powerful networks for forging paths of progress.