Nashville is a diverse community and it is important that we align that with our efforts to make this the best place in America for entrepreneurs. - Stuart McWhorter, CEO, Entrepreneur Center
Nashville, TN (PRWEB) December 09, 2015
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center is announcing the launch of their Diversity Initiative, an effort to further develop an inclusive entrepreneurial environment in Nashville. Initial partners include Google for Entrepreneurs and the Kauffman Foundation.
“We are very excited to launch this important initiative,” states Nashville Entrepreneur Center CEO, Stuart McWhorter. “Nashville is a diverse community and it is important that we align that with our efforts to make this the best place in America for entrepreneurs. We know that high levels of cultural diversity increase the rate of entrepreneurship in the presence of a community such as Nashville that has other critical resources to offer.”
The initiative includes five scholarships focused on underrepresented and minority members of the community. Scholarship recipients will receive a one-year membership at the EC and tuition for the PreFlight program. EC membership provides unlimited coworking space, admittance to weekly events and programming, and access to the EC’s robust mentor program. PreFlight is the EC’s four-month “preaccelerator” for early stage businesses. Entrepreneurs learn and apply skills in ideation, customer development, product market fit, pitch building and more. The program is built on entrepreneurial education for those who want to turn their idea into a reality, but may not be able to commit full time yet.
Google for Entrepreneurs is continuing its partnership with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and will provide support for more events and workshops to promote diversity and inclusion in the entrepreneurial community.
"The Google for Entrepreneurs team has had a strong partnership with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center over the past two years. We look forward to continuing our work with their organization and the city to strengthen diversity outreach in the future," says John Lyman, Head of Partnerships and Marketing at Google for Entrepreneurs.
Scholarship applications can be found at http://www.ec.co/diversity
About the Entrepreneur Center
The EC, with offices at 41 Peabody Street in the Rutledge Hill area, was founded as an economic development initiative of the Nashville business community with a vision to become the best place in America for entrepreneurship. Its mission is to connect entrepreneurs with the critical resources to create, launch and grow businesses. The EC fosters innovation and entrepreneurship by helping to start businesses and create jobs. As a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, the Center is funded through sponsorships, partnerships, donations and grants. The EC relies on support from leading corporations, successful entrepreneurs and those who have a vested interest in the Center’s success. For more information, visit our website at http://www.ec.co
About Google for Entrepreneurs
Google for Entrepreneurs provides financial support and the best of Google's resources to dozens of coworking spaces and community programs across 125 countries. The organization also creates Campuses: physical hubs where entrepreneurs can learn, connect, and build companies that will change the world. To learn more about Google for Entrepreneurs, visit Google.com/entrepreneurs.
About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that aims to foster economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success.
Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, MO., and has approximately $2 billion in assets. For more information, visit http://www.kauffman.org , and follow the Foundation on http://www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and
http://www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn#
Contact: Kelli Nowers at 615.873.1257 / kelli.nowers(at)ec(dot)com