Shaping the Future of Entrepreneur Ecosystems
The ground is shifting for entrepreneur support in America. When Grace and I cofounded our nonprofit over a decade ago, entrepreneurship was in a steady 40-year decline in our country. However, the landscape has changed drastically since then. Today, we are proud to be a part of a professional field of ecosystem building that has emerged with an array of leaders and strategies aimed at reshaping our economy.
Last week, over 80 leading practitioners in the field of entrepreneur support gathered in Washington D.C. to advocate together for continued change, including Right to Start, Center for American Entrepreneurship, Global Entrepreneurship Network, and many others. As summit sponsors and members of the planning committee, we are proud to share our organization's perspective of the Startup Champions Network Policy Summit.
Filled with anticipation, our team arrived at the summit eager to learn, share, and collaborate. Michael Newton Jr., one of our team members attending his first summit, was particularly excited to be exposed to national leaders in the entrepreneurial support ecosystem. "This event has exponentially exceeded my expectations," he said, expressing his admiration for the inspiring and practical presentations from the leaders of Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs).
Erika Haskins, an SCN newcomer, had a unique realization during the summit. "I hadn’t been thinking about my role in entrepreneurship support being so connected to my civic engagement," she noted. This newfound connection invigorated her to integrate policy into her support work, reaffirming her commitment to our cause.
Our team's journey at the summit was not just about individual growth. We had a bigger mission: to share our insights and contribute to the dialogue. We organized a private tour of the U.S. Capitol with Congressman Rick Allen, which provided a unique chance to gain insider perspectives on policy making. This opportunity cemented our resolve to create policies that benefit entrepreneurs.
One such effort was our introduction of the Startup Act, HR 699, by Congressman Allen, and cosponsor Congressman Mark DeSaulnier. This legislation aims to amend the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act to enhance support for entrepreneurs. As part of our trip, we were also able to meet with Senator Warnock’s staff to raise awareness both of the bill, and also the vast impacts made by our organization and others to support entrepreneurs across the state and nation. This significant step was closely followed by our presentation at the summit on workforce policy and entrepreneurship, where we were able to share our experience and perspectives on workforce administration and policy. We led an engaging discussion with several key takeaways:
The importance of participation with your local and state workforce board
Existing system bias against entrepreneurs
Impact data around successful entrepreneurial outcomes
The need for entrepreneurs to have equal access to apprenticeships and on-the-job training support
The Startup Act, and how to endorse and advocate for it
However, the most exciting part, as always, was finding executable strategies that we can bring back to our organization. Grace particularly mentioned this, saying, "It has reinforced how important policy work is... you have to play the long game in building up those relationships in order to really see the change that you want in the world."
With these experiences and insights, we look forward to supporting organizations in 10 new states to get on workforce-approved training lists, thereby opening up federal funding for their programs. As Michael puts it, this strategy is about "communicating the success of our entrepreneurs to people who don’t know their stories... and how to communicate in such a way to invite them into the journey of supporting entrepreneurs."
As we leave Washington D.C., we're reminded of Grace's message to every entrepreneur support organizer:
“You’re doing a good job. Keep going, don’t quit, it’s worth it.”
The experiences, insights, and connections we've made at the summit will not only guide our efforts but also inspire us to continue advocating for entrepreneurs across the country.
