ST. LOUIS EQUITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP COLLECTIVE
Building systems of race and gender equity for St. Louis' early-stage, entrepreneurial ecosystem.
What would be possible if St. Louis proactively built systems of race and gender equity in its entrepreneurship ecosystem?
The St. Louis’ Equity in Entrepreneurship Collective is a regional effort working to ensure that systems built to support new entrepreneurs operate equitably, especially related to race and gender.
The Collective is made up of over 150 individuals from organizations that mentor, fund and champion early-stage entrepreneurs in St. Louis. Together, the Collective is working in the eight following areas to achieve its goal of increased gender and race equity.
Pilot Solutions Currently Being Co-Created
Training to build knowledge & skills to more equitably support women and entrepreneurs of color
Data Sharing to build a regional consensus of entrepreneurial activity & process for replicating in the future
Build a regional
organizational tool kit to provide standard tools & policies for organizations to work equitably
Providing recommendations to improve resource wayfinding process
experienced by new entrepreneurs
Exploring alternative sources of capital that can expand resources available to historically underfunded communities
Coordinating venture capital community conversations to better understand existing funding gaps
Institutionalizing a culture of practice to question consistently defaults, norms and systems that perpetuate inequity
Aligning partners and funding streams to ensure equitable access to facilities, labs & co-working space
ST. LOUIS’ EQUITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP COLLECTIVE SUMMIT
On November 30, 2017, more than 150 members of St. Louis’ entrepreneurship ecosystem gathered for the first-ever regional summit on race and gender equity in early-stage entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs, support organizations, funders and investors imagined and committed to actions that build race and gender equity into St. Louis’ existing entrepreneur ecosystem. The summit featured an Equity Primer delivered by Nicole Hudson, Deputy Mayor for Racial Equity and Strategic Initiatives, a panel of investors, entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders, as well as solution-building work session that identified strategies that are launching a year of action in 2018. For additional information, please click any of the links below:
REVIEW THE DAY’S PRESENTATIONS HERE
REVIEW THE SUMMIT EXECUTIVE REPORT HERE
REVIEW THE SUMMIT REPORT-FULL REPORT HERE
The Collective is just that, a collective.
Become a member, join an Action Team, send us a note; we are eager to hear from you. We are dedicated to collaboration, co-creation and transparency. In the spirit of learning, radical listening, an abundance mindset and a willingness to be candid and vulnerable, members of the Collective look forward to your input so together we can create new opportunities beyond the constraints of current resources.
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