How do we efficiently supply the resources that small and rural communities need to build and sustain businesses? Conference on Market-Based Solutions for Reducing Wealth Inequality speaker Dionne Griffin McGee offers her thoughts.
More than four years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examine the essential elements that build small-business resilience, emphasizing the importance of personal fortitude and intangible resources in ensuring business survival.
Join NCGrowth for the South Carolina Small Rural Business Workshop in Walterboro, S.C., on Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.
In addition to academic presentations, the Conference on Market-Based Solutions for Reducing Wealth Inequality took participants out of the classroom and into the community for a walking tour and on-site discussions in nearby Durham, N.C.
As venture capital markets have surged in recent years, early access to capital remains highly localized. We examine changes that can help investors connect with underrepresented entrepreneurs outside traditional funding hubs, from innovative organizations to improvements in transportation.
Don’t believe the myth that a startup with a single founder is bound for trouble. According to a piece in the Harvard Business Review by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professors Chris Bingham and Brad Hendricks, and UC-Irvine Paul Merage School of Business Professor Travis Howell, solo founders succeed with critical assistance from people and organizations who aren’t official co-founders and don’t require substantial equity.
Maryann Feldman, the S.K. Heninger Distinguished Professor in the UNC Department of Public Policy and faculty director of Kenan Institute affiliated center CREATE, testified before the House Subcommittee on Research and Technology on Wednesday.
Does the quality of startups increase when the quantity drops? Does entrepreneurial experience help or hurt a corporate job candidate? Do diverse teams make for better startups? The 2022 Trends in Entrepreneurship report brings together our global network of affiliated experts to address these questions and more – with key findings highlighted in this week’s insight.
CREATE, an economic development center at the institute, worked with civic and business leaders in Rocky Mount last summer to plan a Black Business Matters District downtown in an effort to address the racial wealth gap in the area. Executive Director Mark Little will join CREATE’s Rocky Mount partners on a panel at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 24 to share their work as part of Carolina’s Engagement Week.
This session delves into three critical aspects of smaller/regional funds. First, is their role in increasing diversity among both capital allocators and entrepreneurs who receive funding. Second, is how pooling capital in diversified vehicles that can invest locally can promote investment by larger VCs/investors. Third, is how regional funds can bridge the divides in communities that lack robust VC ecosystems.
Total funding in North Carolina hit a record $3.4 billion in 2020 with the potential to hit $4 billion in 2021, along with a 10% increase in the number of companies funded, but it’s often a challenge to get cash cycled into new companies and new investments.
This session delves into three critical aspects of smaller/regional funds. First, is their role in increasing diversity among both capital allocators and entrepreneurs who receive funding. Second, is how pooling capital in diversified vehicles that can invest locally can promote investment by larger VCs/investors. Third, is how regional funds can bridge the divides in communities that lack robust VC ecosystems.
Kenan Institute experts, industry leaders and researchers came together to discuss the broad societal impact of entrepreneurs – including entrepreneurial ecosystems, funding and America’s untapped assets – and some of the biggest trends currently seen in the industry.
The sixth annual conference will convene thoughts leaders from academics, industry and government to debate the most challenging current issues in the field of entrepreneurship and set the agenda for future research and policy.
Federal, state and local governments worked hard to sustain entrepreneurial ecosystems, and especially small businesses, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these programs were successful in helping businesses stay open during desperate times.
CREATE Faculty Director and UNC Public Policy Professor Maryann Feldman recently served as a panelist examining conditions for technology-based economic development. While speaking to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Sept. 29, Feldman cautioned against treating universities as lynchpins in the effort to drive regional innovation—noting reforms are needed to help university technology transfer offices recoup operating costs—and strongly advocated for new financing models to spur economic development in areas lacking venture capital support.
As the pandemic forced shutdowns across the globe, U.S. government entities at the federal, state and local levels worked swiftly to secure known drivers of economic growth and job creation – including entrepreneurial ecosystems and small businesses. And while the programs implemented were widely lauded as successful, the story of who benefitted – and who did not – is more complex. This week’s Kenan Insight explores our experts’ key findings around the roles of policy and implementation in supporting equal access to opportunity.
Could new legislation help drive the development of local tech clusters – and the growth of corresponding economic power and development – beyond Silicon Valley? In this week’s Kenan Insight, our experts explore the gravitational pull of Big Tech along with what it could mean if startups across the U.S. were better able to remain and grow in the communities where they launch.
Entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds face a variety of challenges in accessing resources, expertise and funding. Hear experts from our 2021 Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Conference discuss persistent issues and promising solutions for creating vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased economic inequities in a number of ways, including in access to external capital – and while 2020 marked a break-out year for venture-backed firms, the pandemic hit many main street businesses hard. In this Kenan Insight, we explore the forces driving the haves and have-nots in this new economic climate, as well as actionable policy solutions as government support programs wind down.
As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, Congress is gearing up for a potential showdown with the largest tech companies in the U.S. And with a bipartisan group of representatives pushing for legislation that would dismantle the monopoly power of Big Tech, this week's Kenan Insight revisits research on how regulating Amazon, Apple and others may be key to reviving the economies of America’s held-back cities and regions.
VC University LIVE is a three-day certificate program on venture finance, created by NVCA, Startup@BerkeleyLaw, and Venture Forward in 2019, and held in partnership with universities in emerging VC ecosystems across the country.
This invitation-only conference will convene 150 thought-leaders from academics, industry and government to debate the most challenging current issues in the field of entrepreneurship and set the agenda for future research and policy.
A recent TechCrunch article describes the new collaboration between the Kenan Institute-affiliated Entrepreneurship Center, Duke University, Stanford University and others to grow and support founder diversity in the tech industry.
The widespread adoption of technological advances has made the move to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic a success. In this Kenan Insight, we look at why the switch was such a win, its impact on worker productivity, and what it means in the long term for workers, office spaces and cities.
The UNC Entrepreneurship Center will release a year-end update to its 2020 Trends in Entrepreneurship Report as part of its announcement of a new partnership with the Research Triangle Foundation (RTF) at The UNC Difference: Coming to RTP.
Workplaces are under pressure to be more inclusive due to public demands and rapidly changing demographics in the U.S. workforce. These commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) aren't just moral, they're crucial to business prosperity. In this Kenan Insight, we explore strategies for startups to employ and explain why starting early is key to success.
As North Carolina's entrepreneurs, industries and communities move forward amidst COVID-19, Kenan Institute affiliated center NCGrowth is helping to make sure they have the tools to succeed when business can fully re-open again.
Mark Little, executive director of CREATE, a Kenan Institute-affiliated center, has been named to the inaugural North Carolina Black Entrepreneurship Council (NC BEC). The council was founded by NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic empowerment in North Carolina.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Within two months, nearly half a million people fled hard-hit New York City. Will they return once the crisis has passed? In this Kenan Insight, we explore how the ongoing pandemic is raising questions about the future attractiveness of large cities as places to live and do business.
The Eship Center's second Luminary talk highlights Mary Grove who brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in technology, early-stage investing and startup ecosystem growth
In recent months, mechanisms that have allowed for high-skilled foreign nationals to study and work in the U.S. have been put on the policy chopping block. In this Kenan Insight, we discuss why high-skilled foreign workers are critical to America's economic health, and why policies must continue to support their entry into the U.S.
The UNC Entrepreneurship Center has publicly expressed its support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and is committed to diversity and being allies to the black community. We will continue to prioritize increasing representation and inclusion in the work that we do at UNC and in the greater community. This session will focus on discussing the various journeys of Black entrepreneurs in our ecosystem.
Join us on June 10 as we launch our incubator guide, alongside Hillary Sherman, of EDA, Thom Ruhe, of NC IDEA, and others directly involved in managing existing incubators. We will explore how to assess the feasibility of an incubator, ways to foster strong, resilient small business communities with or without an incubator, and how incubators have been impacted by COVID-19.
NVCA and Startup@BerkeleyLaw have selected SMU and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to host VC University LIVE programs in 2020-21, spotlighting the local venture communities and convening local and coastal industry leaders.
Join us this Wednesday, May 13, from 1-2pm EDT for our next webinar. This webinar is part of a larger series, in partnership with the UNC Entrepreneurship Center, titled “Navigating the Great Pause”. Wednesday’s webinar is titled “Small Business Support and Success Amidst COVID-19” and will feature Lowcountry Local First, of Charleston, South Carolina.
In the latest webinar collaboration with NCGrowth, Entrepreneurship Center Executive Director Vickie Gibbs spoke with three current and former clients of NCGrowth about COVID-19’s impact on small business.
Timely insights into topics that affect founders, funders and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
While technological advances have traditionally been a boon to the U.S. economy, the rapid rise of new platforms and the increased financialization of the economy in recent years have encouraged the growth of monopolies—driving an ever-widening geographic gap in the distribution of income across the country. New research from the Kenan Institute’s Professor Maryann Feldman explores the ramifications of this growing divide.
Small businesses are an undeniable engine of growth for the United States, comprising 99 percent of all U.S. firms and driving nearly half our total economic activity. Yet small business owners across the country lack sufficient capital to succeed, grow and scale. The Kenan Institute has conducted a new analysis on the role of the Small Business Administration’s SBIC program in providing capital to the often-overlooked small businesses operating outside of metropolitan centers, as well as those owned by women and underrepresented minorities. You can access an overview of our findings, as well as key takeaways for business and policy leaders, by clicking below.
An inside look at the plenary sessions of the fourth annual Frontiers of Entrepreneurship conference, which convened practitioners, policymakers and academics to discuss the most challenging issues in the field of entrepreneurship and set the agenda for future research and policy.
Twice each year, NCGrowth showcases its clients, recent projects and upcoming work in a unique place. On Dec. 13, the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro hosted the event. Attendees learned about Asheboro, Randolph County and the broader Triad economy, and recent NCGrowth projects – and got to visit with some of the zoo’s animal inhabitants.
Five of the top 10 skills identified for business success are entrepreneurial skills, making entrepreneurship education relevant not just for would-be startup owners, but for general business students as well.
On Nov. 19, NCGrowth visited High Point, North Carolina, to learn more about the city’s unique legacy, recent developments and future revitalization efforts.
Vickie Gibbs, executive director of the Entrepreneurship Center, and Maryann Feldman, director of CREATE, were featured in a recent News & Observer piece that looks at the growth of new businesses in the Triangle and how that's impacting the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.
Maryann Feldman, director of CREATE Prosperity, discussed her work on building an entrepreneurial startup database with data from across North Carolina at the NC Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit on Monday in Raleigh.
As Global Entrepreneurship Week begins, Professor Ted Zoller, faculty director of the Kenan Institute-affiliated UNC Entrepreneurship Center, discusses what UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School is doing to drive innovation in entrepreneurship education and prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs for success.
Five individuals from the fields of economics and entrepreneurship will spend a year strengthening collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, contributing to the schools’ teaching missions, and providing at least one major public lecture or performance.
The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and Duke University have announced the selection of the 2020 Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professorship recipients.
The third annual Kenan Institute Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Conference convened thought leaders from academia, industry and government to debate the most challenging current issues in the field of entrepreneurship and set the agenda for future research and policy. It was held on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2019 at The Breakers Palm Beach.