Beyond Good Intentions: Challenging Our Assumptions About Entrepreneurship as an Equity Solution

Entrepreneurship is often championed as a powerful tool for closing equity gaps—but does it truly deliver on this promise? In this highly interactive session, we invite you to critically examine the assumptions underlying entrepreneurial support programs. Together, we’ll explore whether our current models genuinely increase access and outcomes for underrepresented entrepreneurs or inadvertently reinforce the barriers we aim to dismantle. Through live polling, structured debates, small-group problem-solving, and real-world insights from entrepreneurs, we’ll assess if we’re measuring what matters or merely what’s convenient. Join us as we challenge conventional wisdom, introduce global perspectives, and collectively develop more authentic metrics that reflect the lived experiences of underrepresented entrepreneurs.