The International Conference on Business Incubation (InBIA) has just concluded their annual conference in Atlanta from June 26-29, 2022. InBIA is a global non-profit with over 1,200 members that lead entrepreneurship support organizations in 30 countries. InBIA provides industry best practices through education while enabling collaboration, mentorship, peer-based learning, and the sharing of innovative ideas for entrepreneurs across the globe. As the largest member-based entrepreneurial support network in the world, InBIA provides the best industry resources for building entrepreneurial ecosystems through sustainable programs across a wide scope of industries and disciplines. Among members are business incubators, accelerators, coworking spaces, and other entrepreneurship support organizations who are dedicated to nurturing the unique startups in their communities.
One of four session tracks was Entrepreneurship Ecosystems of great interest to your editor who is advising the University of Hawaii Hilo about establishing one on the Island of Hawaii. Establishing and growing a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem is widely recognized as an important aspect of creating regional prosperity through new job growth. The sessions explored the elements and strategies for building successful entrepreneurship ecosystems in any community. Topics included creating effective partnerships, ecosystem mapping, engaging community stakeholders, fostering local entrepreneurship culture, encouraging diversity and inclusion, creating sustainable ecosystem models, rural opportunities, and more. The Kauffman Foundation sent a team from Kansas City as part of a partnership call the EBLP, Ecosystem Builders Leadership Project, which helped support several breakout sessions on ecosystem building. Details on site below:
https://www.ebleadershipproject.com/launch
EBLP is an initiative to collaboratively design, create, and validate a formal entity or shared infrastructure whose purpose is to provide leadership for the advancement of the entrepreneurship ecosystem building field of practice. Past ESHIP Summits and other inputs have made clear the need for more coordinated and centralized efforts to build field-wide infrastructure that will help accelerate wider understanding and adoption of ecosystem building as a practice in economic, community, workforce and entrepreneurship development in the United States. The origin of the Ecosystem Building Leadership Project (EBLP) stems from the great work of 1500+ participants of the ESHIP Summits hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Over the course of three years and four Summits, ecosystem builders from all 50 U.S. States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 20 other countries gathered to join collective efforts to explore and progress the entrepreneurship ecosystem building field of practice. The project team includes InBIA CEO Charles Ross and Beth Zimmer, an experienced ecosystem design practitioner, as project lead. They are supported by a diverse collaborative advisory group.
Other conference activities included two pre conferences, one a certification in mentor development and the other on sources for funding sustainable entrepreneurship centers. Attendees has the opportunity to take part in an Innovation Tour of metro Atlanta centers. Atlanta has long been considered the FinTech capitol with Visa and Equifax headquarters based in the city. The tour included:
Russell Innovation Center’s RICE, an economic mobility engine for the community: driving entrepreneurs and small business owners to innovate, grow, create jobs, and build wealth. Housed in over 50,000 square feet of convening, meeting, and innovation space in a LEED building. Part business generator, innovation lab, and museum, RICE invests in Black entrepreneurs, strengthens businesses, and creates community.
Atlanta Tech Village, a community of innovation powered by the 4th largest tech space in the U.S. and deep connections to Atlanta’s business and investment community. The Village supports and inspires entrepreneurs to achieve success through a community that promotes faster connections between talent, ideas and capital. Designed for the unique needs of tech and tech-related startups, ATV is engineered to provide a powerful combination of factors that dramatically increase a startup’s chance of success.
The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is Georgia’s technology business incubator, assisting entrepreneurs throughout the state. Via a unique blend of coaching, curriculum, community, and connections – not just to Georgia Tech and its resources, but also to capital and customers, ATDC helps Georgia startups at various stages navigate the choppy waters of taking an idea from concept to product prototype to launch and ultimately to scale.
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