Now Reading
Boston Event Sparks a National Conversation on Diversity in Incubators and Accelerators
Boston Event Sparks a National Conversation on Diversity in Incubators and Accelerators
Published 10-19-16
Submitted by The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
An event hosted in Boston next week is sparking a national conversation on what it will take to increase women and minority participation in incubators and accelerators. The convening, Catalyzing Inclusivity in Incubators and Accelerators, is organized by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), and sponsored by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and The Boston Foundation.
This event builds on recent research by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), finding that women and minorities are significantly underrepresented in high-tech incubators and accelerators. The report, Creating Inclusive High-Tech Incubators and Accelerators: Strategies to Increase Participation Rates of Women and Minority Entrepreneurs, identifies barriers to women and minority entrepreneurs looking to gain access to high-tech incubators and accelerators, and outlines a playbook of strategies to increase their participation rates in these organizations.
“Increasing participation of women and minorities in high-tech incubators and accelerators is definitely feasible, and we have identified several effective strategies that are already being used by some leading organizations,” said Kimberly Zeuli, ICIC’s Director of Research and lead author of the report. “Yet, more needs to be done to make sure that all incubators and accelerators are intentionally supporting diverse entrepreneurs.”
The event will be held on October 27th at the Roxbury Innovation Center in Boston, MA, and run from 9:00am-3:30pm. Two hundred registrants are expected to attend. It will convene incubator and accelerator leaders, economic development professionals, city leaders, and other stakeholders interested in inclusive innovation to identify strategies to break down barriers for women and minority entrepreneurs.
Featured speakers include Scott Bailey, Managing Director for Boston, Mass Challenge; Kirstie Chadwick, President & CEO, International Business Innovation Association; Gilad Rosenzweig, Founder & CEO, Smarter in the City; Allyson Burns, COO, Village Capital; and Dr. Cheryl Watkins-Moore, Director of Bioscience & Entrepreneurial Inclusion, BioSTL. A keynote address will be delivered by Professor Jeffery A. Robinson at the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers University.
More information can be found online at http://icic.org.
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) was founded by reknown Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter in 1994 as a research and strategy organization that today is widely recognized as the preeminent authority on urban economic growth. ICIC drives inclusive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities through innovative research and programs to create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents. To learn more about ICIC, visit icic.org.
More from The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)
