Startup DC was born from the Startup America Partnership, a historic collaboration by the Case Foundation, Kauffman Foundation and the White House in 2011. Today it continues on through the tireless efforts of a new generation of startup community builders.
– Steven A. Rodriguez, MANAGING PARTNER
The Startup America Partnership was based on a simple premise: young companies that grow create jobs. As a core American value, entrepreneurship is critical to the country’s long term success and it’s time to step up our game.
Startup DC was launched in 2012 and led by various community leaders “to spread the word about what’s happening in Startupland here in Virginia, Maryland, and DC and share some of our crazy ideas for celebrating and supporting entrepreneurship across the region,” as originally shared by DC Inno.
Startup DC is a community-led effort within the Startup America network.
– Evan Burfield
Below is a historical reference to the amazing Startup DC work guiding Innovate Coalition Inc’s efforts in the years ahead.
GOALS
Three main goals:
- Provide valuable resources and connections to help young companies grow
- Support regional startup ecosystems throughout the country
- Recognize startups as the drivers of our economy and their founders as American heroes
PARTNER RESOURCES
The Startup America Partnership assembled more than $1 Billion worth of commitments from dozens of partners to support the growth of startups in five key areas:
- Expertise: Connect startups with training, mentors, advisors and accelerators
- Services: Provide startups with access to critical services at reduced costs
- Talent: Assist startups in recruiting, training and retaining the people that can help them grow
- Customers: Help startups through acquisition of new customers and expansion into new markets
- Capital: Highlight sources of capital available to startups in various regions and sectors
Once startups became a Startup America Firm, they would access and manage these resources through a personalized dashboard.
In addition to the product and service focused offerings, Startup America Firms gained access to Connection Programs which provide unique opportunities to connect with thought leaders, major corporations (as partners or customers), customers, and more.
STARTUP REGIONS
The Startup America Partnership worked on a regional basis with local serial entrepreneurs to support and grow startup ecosystems across the country. Leaders in cities from Des Moines and New Orleans to Nashville and Burlington are strengthening their local startup networks and engaging young companies to help them grow organically in their hometown. All of the Startup America Regions were grassroots, entrepreneur-led initiatives and serve as a rallying point to bring all the elements together – entrepreneurs and startups, local talent and universities, activities and mentorship, large companies and local government – all to help startups grow.
RECOGNITION & CELEBRATION
The Startup America Partnership continually highlighted the importance of startups and the teams that drive them as innovators and job creators, while celebrating entrepreneurship as a core American value. They aspired to make creating or joining an American startup the most desirable job in the world. The Startup America Partnership worked at events across the country capturing and sharing startup stories, celebrating newly-minted and seasoned entrepreneurs, and promoting startups as the nation’s core economic engine.
Startups are at the heart of the Startup America Partnership. Their “customers” are the founders and their teams who strive to establish and grow their companies – creating amazing jobs along the way.
Together they helped Startup America, a catalyst of the state of the startup ecosystems today across the United States of America.
