As 2021 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the [insert adjective of choice] year we’ve had. Some of our highlights? Well, the biggest one is convening in person for the Fall Summit in Des Moines. We also came together with InBIA to see where we could strengthen our respective organizations together, transitioned to a new membership platform, and welcomed two new board members (Jenny Poon and Rick Turoczy).

The biggest highlight for us this year was seeing our members succeed, collaborate, and get together! Our members...

Received SBA grants to continue their work

Collaborated on projects, events, or just took time to catch up

For many members, traveling means you get to catch up with fellow ecosystem builders across the country. As travel increased this year, so did in-person catch-ups and collaborations among members. Here are just some photos shared in our membership group.

Made impact in their ecosystems, grew their businesses, and launched new ventures…

Debbie Irwin won $5M in grants for her organization and grew the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund team from 4 to 13.

  • Paulo Gregory launched Black Butterfly Network and Exchange

  • Geoff Wood opened two new coworking locations (Cedar Falls & Jefferson) and will open a 5th location in January 2022. He did all that AND hosted the Fall Summit in his OG location in downtown Des Moines.

  • Upon relocating to Dallas and launching a new company, Autix, Jake Hamann won Code Story and Startup of the year. Kudos to board member Mike Binko, who is also on the Autix team.

  • Darlisa Diltz opened up NTEEC AND won the "2021 Startup Evangelist of the Year" through The DEC Network!

  • Linda Olson Creely launched a Fintech business accelerator

  • Brit Fitzpatrick launched Nevertheless Studio, a network capital innovation studio

  • David Ponraj rebranded Startup Space. Their new name is Economic Impact Catalyst

  • Jenny Poon and her team at HUUB won a Gold Award for Excellence in Economic Equity and Inclusion from the International Economic Development Council for their tech partnership with City of Mesa Office of Economic Development

  • Lauren Conaway was on the cover of Kansas City Business Journal as one of their NextGen Leaders

  • Grace Belangia and Eric Parker did a lot in 2021 between theClubhou.se and Make Startups. They helped launch new startups across Georgia, launched a Workforce Opportunity Calculator, and welcomed a new cohort for their Certificate of Entrepreneurship program with Startup Columbus.

  • Tom Chapman and Larkin Garbee developed an entrepreneurial ecosystem plan for two regions in Virginia after an in-depth analysis of each region. As a result, Region 1 has received funding from Go Virginia. The work on the other region will continue (with Liz Povar and Scott Bragg) into 2022.

  • Victor Hwang and the Right to Start team have had a tremendous last few weeks, with meetings on Capitol Hill with the House Entrepreneurship Caucus and at least 15 Congressional offices, and at the National Council of State Legislators with over 35 key state legislators. They have a lot planned for 2022 with several states introducing Right to Start Acts, grassroots operations growing in 10 communities, and the launch of a digital community. We're also proud to say that many SCN members are Right to Start ambassadors.

What a year it has been! Kudos to all who have been working hard to build back their entrepreneurial ecosystems and support entrepreneurs during such a difficult time. It was wonderful to see many of our members this fall at the Summit, which brings us to our last 2021 highlight: announcing our Spring Summit location in Durham/Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (#SCNTriangleNC). Durham is home to one of the many historic Black Wall Streets in America. We look forward to convening there, experiencing the Black innovation happening in the area, and taking an equity lens to our Summit content. Learn more and get your ticket here.