Beth Zimmer on Reducing the Barriers to Entry for Rural Startups

Serendipity in ecosystem building is a huge underlying and immeasurable resource. It’s important to have communities that support amazing things coming together in a harmonious way. This episode of the Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast is about reducing the barriers to entry for rural startups.

RISE Collaborative is striving to create a more inclusive and vibrant regional economy in which makers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and service providers interact organically and collaboratively. Our mission is to enhance equity and access to entrepreneurship and innovation for people who have been underserved based on geographic location (anyone who lives, works, or owns a business in Southern Virginia), and for people who have been underrepresented based on race, gender, religion, or other factors. We are doing this by creating regionally-relevant incubator services and accelerator programs that can be accessed at many locations across our service area.

In this episode of Entrepreneurship on the RISE Podcast, Jacob and Lauren, joined by their guest Beth Zimmer are sharing Beth’s experience in working to solve the problem of an underdeveloped ecosystem lacking in startups and the beauty that comes when we all work together towards a common goal. 

Some of the talking points we go over in this episode include:

• The role of serendipity in ecosystem building. 
• What is an ecosystem builder, in Beth’s own words. 
• How Right to Start helps reduce the barrier to entry so that entrepreneurs can start and feel supported along the way. 
• Creating a platform with high engagement by setting the intentions of it being a space that belongs to all of it’s creators AND users. 
• The immense value of social capital in ecosystem building.
• Advice and guidance for early ecosystem builders.

Ecosystem building is a no brainer but we have to remember that we can go farther together than we can alone.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag us!  And don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about RISE Collaborative at https://sovarise.com/ 

CONNECT WITH BETH ZIMMER:

[e-mail]

EBLP Trade Wing

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

Startup Communities by Brad Feld

Start With Why by Simon Sinek