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June 2By Comments OffRead more...

Energizing Entrepreneurship in All Communities

New and young businesses create nearly all job growth in America. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that entrepreneurship is a civic priority in every community. That’s the mission of Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization whose field operations I lead. Those field operations focus primarily on a growing network of 25 volunteer Ambassadors in 19 states and the District of Columbia and 14 part-time Advocates in 10 states. Together, we share insights into barriers that obstruct entrepreneurship, design efforts to remove them, and pursue related policy change.  Two of our Ambassadors are Trey Bowles (Techstars Physical Health...

May 10By Comments OffRead more...

How to Fund Innovation for Free

HSC received a $2M grant from Tarrant County to develop a program that helps make it easier for innovative Tarrant County small businesses to apply for funding through America’s Seed Fund. Each year the Federal Government sets aside money in America’s Seed Fund (technically called the SBIR and STTR programs) to award to small businesses that are engaged in research and development with an effort to commercialize their technologies or products. There is approximately $4B available annually; these funds are nondilutive, meaning that companies that receive these funds keep their IP and aren’t required to give up an equity stake...

May 9By Comments OffRead more...

The Rise of Vietnamese American Entrepreneurship in DFW

Did you know that the Vietnamese language is the third most spoken language in the DFW area (after English and Spanish)? In 1970, the Vietnamese community in North Texas was only 1,500 residents, and currently the population has risen to over 110,000, making DFW the fourth largest Vietnamese community in the United States, behind Los Angeles, Houston, and San Jose. The Vietnamese people, along with other Asian ethnicities, are extremely entrepreneurial. Asian Americans make up only 5.9% of population in DFW but own more than 15% of all businesses in the area! From innovative companies such as Luraco Technologies that owns...

April 26By Comments OffRead more...

The Future of Climate Tech and Energy Transition Hasn’t Been Invented Yet

Today, the words “venture” and “tech” and “entrepreneur” almost exclusively conjure up notions of the software industry. But there is a rapidly growing segment of the venture community that is rather more physical than virtual: climate tech and energy transition. According to PWC, 20 to 25% of all venture capital is now being directed into this very important and critical segment. And this is justified, given that reaching equilibrium with Planet Earth is perhaps humanity’s greatest challenge of the 21st, and probably 22nd, centuries.   With April being Earth month, it’s therefore a good time for this guest blogger to reflect on...

April 13By Comments OffRead more...

Earth-Friendly Ways to Cut Waste and Your Marketing Budget

Hey there, titan of industry! It’s Earth Month, and businesses account for two-thirds of the waste in our local landfills, so let's talk about how you can reduce waste and why it’s beneficial not only for the environment but also for your bottom line. Who are we to offer this unsolicited advice? Well, at The Welman Project, we see business waste every day. As a Fort Worth nonprofit on a mission to fill a classroom, not a landfill, we take business waste, find curriculum-enhancing ways to repurpose it, and donate it to teachers for creative reuse in the classroom. Along...

March 28By Comments OffRead more...

The Power of Women Supporting Women: From the Past to Present and Beyond

Women supporting women has been a powerful force throughout history, with examples of women coming together to bring about lasting impact, innovation, and magic. From the suffragettes who fought for women's right to vote, to the civil rights movement where women played a critical role, to the #MeToo movement, women have always found strength in numbers, in community and in friendship. Fast forward to 2022, and we see Lizzo using her platform to spotlight seventeen femme activists who are making herstory today.  Looking back over the past 100 years, we see countless examples of women coming together to create change. In...

February 20By Comments OffRead more...

What Artificial Intelligence (AI) Can Do For You

Automation refers to the use of technology to perform tasks without human intervention. This can include tasks such as data entry, customer service inquiries, and manufacturing processes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a type of technology that enables computers to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence, such as recognizing patterns, making decisions, and learning.   Automation and AI are relevant to startups and small businesses because they can help improve efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, and make better decisions. In a competitive business environment, automation and AI can give startups and small businesses a competitive advantage by enabling them to do...

January 11By Comments OffRead more...

Why Topophilia is the Bedrock of Ecosystem Building

Topophilia means “the love of place.”  This is eloquently described in many texts, including “The Startup Community Way” by Ian Hathaway and Brad Feld. Near the end of the book, it states: “Given the absence of a blueprint [to build an ecosystem], the only path forward is a process of trial and error, learning from failures and building on a city’s unique strengths. Cultivating a deep love of place (called topophilia) helps startup community participants endure the inevitable ups and downs.” In this way, the enduring lifeblood of the ecosystem goes beyond measurables to a fundamental understanding and love of the...

November 22By Comments OffRead more...

The State of Entrepreneurship in Fort Worth is Strong

I had the opportunity this year to deliver the 5th annual State of Entrepreneurship Address at the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) luncheon event sponsored by HSC Next and FortWorth,Inc and it was an honor to highlight all the great work that was accomplished by local innovators, entrepreneurs, startups and ecosystem builders in the past year. I have highlighted a few of my key talking points below, but you can also watch the full event, recorded by the FWISD students in the Broadcast Journalism/Media Technology program at Southwest High School here. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram did a nice recap of the event and...

October 12By Comments OffRead more...

SCN Series: Telling the Stories of Entrepreneurs in Fort Worth

The Startup Champions Network (SCN) Fall Summit is happening in Fort Worth this October. Ashley Ray, the Social Media and Communications lead at SCN, has been shining a light on the University of North Texas Health Science Center team hosting this event in Fort Worth. Here are some highlights of Marco Johnson, the Associate Director of Entrepreneurship at HSC Next.  J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.” - Sam Gamgee When Kendel Rogers landed a job at HSC Next, she knew she hit the jackpot. She had her sights set on healthcare because she...