Aug 2016. A group of 12 STL ESOs submit a proposal for a first-of-its-kind regional collaborative around race and gender equity in entrepreneurship to Kauffman.
Nov 2017. The St. Louis Equity in Entrepreneurship Summit kicks off the work of the Collective-150 attendees brainstorm solutions for 4 Action Teams to work on.
Summer 2018. Free trainings on race, gender and the intersections with entrepreneurship offered.
Members of the Collective work on building pilot solutions.
January 2019. Community gathering to review actions to date, release evaluation, and launch plans for next phase of the Collective.
November 2019. Community meeting featuring Forward Cities to learn from other cities and gain insight from experts on how to make the St. Louis region more inclusive.
Summer 2020. Collective worked to provide up-to-date COVID resources and stimulus package information to our membership by completing a three-part Paycheck Protection Plan training series and by publishing relief resources online.
December 2016. Kauffman grants BioSTL $420K to serve as backbone for Collective. One of 13 awards from 376 applications.
Jan-May 2018. Four Action Teams meet to work through Summit feedback and identify 8 proposed pilot solutions.
Fall 2018. Closed-door investor summit to raise awareness on the gaps in venture funding across identities.
July 2019. Convening is held to present plans for Collective 2.0, including introduction of governance structure, updated Action Team, and Steering Committee members.
Q1 2020. The Collective hires its first full-time director, LaShana Lewis and full-time Program Coordinator Hayley Johnston.
January 2021. The Collective onboards formal Board of Directors.
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