America21 Co-hosts Closing the Wealth Gap, Sept. 19

America21 will co-host a forum on Closing the Wealth Gap on Sept. 19, 2012 in Washington D.C. at B’s Restaurant in Union Station from 4 pm to 8 pm.     See the slides below for more information. Limited seating. Get your tickets here while they last. Share this:  Read More

America21 highlighted in Forbes by Nortech CEO

INCLUSION: The Missing Link in Economic Competitiveness By Rebecca O. Bagley President and CEO, Nortech Aug. 15, 2012 (See original column in Forbes) As I continue to engage with companies, universities, government leaders, investors and economic development practitioners in Ohio and across the country, I can’t help but notice the lack of diversity in high growth technology sectors.  How can the U.S. reach its full potential as a global leader... Read More

Innovation Economy Should Be Inclusive Economy

The America21 Project principal and co-founder, Johnathan Holifield will speak in Detroit May 10-11. Here’s an excerpt from an interview with Holifield by Model D Media:   While Holifield’s mission is to provide direct services to underserved communities, he believes the message of America21 is equally important. It’s about putting pressure on a system to turn it around. And according to Holifield, a region’s expression of a... Read More

Economic Strategy: STEM education important for TBED

Originally posted by Technically Philly Interview by Brian James Kirk Dec. 9, 2011 When Dr. Chad Womack moved his nanobiomolecular startup company NanoVec to Philadelphia in 2006, he was working from an office located in front of University City High School. Though he was born and raised in Philadelphia, he didn’t know the history of the school. Long drawn to education, he began wondering how the school was impacted by science, technology, education... Read More

Congress approves of crowdfunding; do you?

On Nov. 3, 2011 Congress moved the economically disconnected sectors of society a bit closer to the American Entrepreneurial Dream of owning a business by expanding the landscape of angel investing, which is unfortunately still a foreign concept to the vast majority of Americans who are disconnected from knowledge of the job growth and wealth creation processes across the fruited plains. Paul Allen is a well known investor. He has written a very good... Read More

U.S. Innovation Economy: Self-Selection is Key

U.S. Innovation Economy: Self-selection is key By Johnathan Holifield From my earliest memories, I can recall being taught that admitting one’s mistake is a sign of true strength. If those teachings ring true, as I believe they do, then my confession of early failure to fully grasp the immutable law of the Innovation Economy, and how it relates to African American prospects for 21st century prosperity, ranks as a nearly herculean feat. New Civil... Read More

U.S. Innovation and Competiveness Strategy: ‘All Hands On Deck’

Okay, I’ve never been shy about contributing my ideas on myriad social, educational and economic matters, through written public commentary, in appearances before legislative bodies, during one-on-one or community roundtable discussions or even in town hall-style settings. In fact, I have to say that throughout my life and career, I’ve been close to fearless when it comes to expressing my ideas on these topics. In the countless instances where... Read More

Invisible Capital and Democratizing Entrepreneurial Opportunity

BICI Guest Post By Chris Rabb Invisible capital is the toolkit of our skills, knowledge, networks, experiences and other resources, along with the set of assets we were born with: our race and gender, our family’s wealth and status, the type of community in which we were raised, and the education we had as children. Some of these assets are fixed — we cannot change who our parents are. Others are in our power to acquire or modify. What makes... Read More

Q&A: Funding Inequities negatively impact Minorities & Women in Science

Science Magazine: A new report finds that black biomedical scientists are 10 percentage points less likely to receive research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). And earlier this month, a government study found that women scientists in the United States earn about 12% less than men and represent a mere 24% of the workforce in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Dr. Chad Womack The BICI is pleased to present... Read More

Let’s cast down our buckets in the Innovation Economy

Way back in grammar school, I enjoyed writing book reports, especially about famous and historic Black American figures. I recall in the fifth grade bringing home the biography of Booker T. Washington. I was so impressed by Washington’s story, and knowing that my grandfather, the head of our house – the Reverend Lieutenant Beecher Campbell, Sr. – was born and reared in Tuskegee, Alabama, I asked Grandpa about Washington. “Booker T. Washington... Read More

Will Blacks invest in Black Innovators?

It’s a simple question that will define the role of Black innovation in the 21st century: Will Blacks invest in Black innovators? It sounds like a rhetorical question, but it isn’t. There’s a lot of talk about how much purchasing power exists in Black America, upwards of $800B today with projections of $1 trillion in the next five years. None of that translates into new jobs and wealth generation for Black America by Black Americans. But... Read More

Good news for Innovators: Venture Capital is Back!

(Image: U.S. Treasury Access to Capital Conference Presentation) Policy-makers, economists, investors, economic developers and I have lamented for the past few years the fact that private sector capital had not yet gotten back into the game. The good news for innovators is that in 2010, the venture capital (VC) sector came roaring back, putting $26.2 billion into 2,799 venture deals, a spike of 11 percent from 2009 and a major sign that formerly... Read More

High-Growth Entrepreneurs are America’s Solution to the ‘Jobless Recovery’

It seems our elected officials – on both sides of the aisle – are playing a game of chicken and we, average Americans, are caught in the middle. So, you say, “what’s new?” Well, what’s new is that this particular game is especially pernicious, as no one seems to have the political courage or will to tell us the truth about the economy. And in this case, what you don’t know will surely and severely disadvantage you. I have little doubt... Read More

Promoting High-Growth Enterprises: 4 Ways to Plug Leaky Economic Bucket

When targeting prosperity, many communities focus on attracting new wealth from the outside. That’s a good thing, of course, but not the only thing. Wealth-retention is equally (if not more) important than wealth-attraction. I believe state and municipal government incentives for high-growth enterprises (HGEs) can be an excellent community wealth-retention tool in the Innovation Economy. A state or municipal economy is really like a bucket of water,... Read More

Startup America: Fueling the Innovation Engine

Unquestionably, America has been an entrepreneurial nation. Here are some compelling, historical facts from the National Commission on Entrepreneurship (NCOE): 67% of inventions and 95% of all radical innovations produced since World War II are attributable to entrepreneurs. In the late 1960s, one in four persons went to work for a Fortune 500 firm, in 1980 it was one in five, in the late 1990s it was an astounding one in fourteen. Informal investors... Read More

BICI: 21st century approach to 20th century challenges

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today.  We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.  In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. “Procrastination is still the thief of time.  Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity.  The ‘tide in the affairs of men’ does not remain at the flood; it ebbs.  We may cry out desperately... Read More