Startup accelerator programs typically focus on prospects that have the potential to scale and provide its investors with a strong rate of return, missing the core building blocks of the American economy – small businesses and small business entrepreneurs. In high-tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Boston, priority resources such as funds and mentorship tend to go toward technology-based startups with a potential to have global impact. While being important contributors to the larger economy, smaller local businesses tend to go unnoticed, despite their impactful contributions such as generating 65% of new jobs and economically and culturally revitalizing local communities. The startup industry must stop chasing the unicorn and acknowledge the workhorse of the economy.
In this session, Entrepreneurship forAll (EforAll) CEO Meralis Hood is joined by Seth Levine, co-founder of Boulder-based Foundry Group and co-author of “The New Builders: Face to Face with the True Future of Business,” and Robert Burns, Walton Family Foundation home region program director, to discuss the importance and strategies for bridging the gap for the small business owners and entrepreneurs that are often left behind.
