Both / And: what it actually takes to fuel inclusive entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship funding has split into two camps: those who fund direct service providers (training, mentorship, networks, and access) and those who fund systems-level work (policy, financing instruments, and capital infrastructure). Both believe they are investing in entrepreneurship. Both are right. And both are incomplete.

To build an economy where community-rooted entrepreneurs can compete and thrive, both layers are essential and deeply interdependent. This session brings together a funder, a direct service provider, and a systems-level organization to map what a fully resourced entrepreneurship ecosystem looks like, and what it costs when any single layer goes unfunded.