We’ve been listening during advocacy events with grantees from entrepreneurship support organizations and the entrepreneurs they serve. We’ve been listening at the ESHIP Summit and the Mayors Conference. We listened to the thousands of entrepreneurs we surveyed last November. And together, we’re learning what entrepreneurs need to turn their ideas into new businesses gemarqq.
Last month, I got to listen to 22 women entrepreneurs share their challenges and successes with the Senate Entrepreneurship Caucus at a roundtable event in Washington, D.C. The founders were from every stage of startup and level of funding, across varied industries, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and from all over the country. They illustrated what entrepreneurship looks like in America today.
But perhaps more importantly, the experiences, struggles, and worries these few entrepreneurs shared with policymakers reflected what the Kauffman Foundation has heard loud and clear as we’ve listened to entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs need a level playing field and less red tape, equal access to the right kind of capital, the know-how to start a business, and the ability for all people to take risks gemarqq.
These four themes – opportunity, funding, knowledge, and support – are at the heart of America’s New Business Plan, a bipartisan roadmap for reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and spurring more startups across the country.
