Champions for Women’s Entrepreneurship at the US Senate
From Grace Belangia, Executive Director of theClubhou.se.
When I participated in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Roundtable hosted by the Senate Entrepreneurship Caucus last year, it was to highlight women from around the country who are doing business and supporting each other as entrepreneurs. Though it seems like a million years ago, our economy, the world and how we function as a society and a community has now shifted with the COVID-19 crisis affecting each and every one of us.
So as an entrepreneur and ecosystem builder, it gives me great pleasure to see the support from organizations like the Kauffman Foundation and the Center for American Entrepreneurship help facilitate the conversation with policy makers in Washington DC who understand that the problems that inhibit some small businesses to be successful can be solved, with the appropriate support mechanisms in place. Wendy Guillies, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, moderated and has been a champion in this movement, and John Dearie, Founder and President of the Center for American Entrepreneurship continues to organize this national endeavor.
This bi-partisan Caucus is co-chaired by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Vice-Presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). It also includes Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Inhofe (R-OK), Doug Jones (D-AL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Gary Peters (D-MI), David Perdue (R-GA), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Tina Smith (D-MN).
It was also about this time that the Start Us Up Now movement launched to inspire local, state and federal policy, business and investment leaders to really take a hard look at what support networks are needed to secure economic independence for all. It’s an honor for theClubhou.se and Make Startups to be a part of the coalition and really empower those that not only want to create their own jobs but to contribute to the well-being of their community in hiring others and increasing the wealth of the neighborhoods they live in.
Resilience and grit are great but unless you have bankers willing to approve small loans for startups, affordable reliable health care for children and ageing parents, a lot of the financing and managing family responsibilities still falls on the women to be the caretakers of all. Only 2% of venture capital is funding female owned businesses and that could and should change for better results on deal flow and investment returns. Women are launching new business at a faster rate than men, yet still face particular challenges (child care, health care, elder care, financing, access to capital) where policies can be shifted to make starting a company more successful. As commerce and business has navigated the crisis, some businesses are thriving online in the e-commerce marketplace while other brick-and-mortar have to reimagine their business model to reach their customers and attract new customers as we shelter-in-place indefinitely.
Besides supporting new businesses, launching them is also something that I integrate into my professional career endeavors as well. In light of recent events (hello COVID-19!), there has been a paradigm shift at theClubhou.se and how we function as an organization and my role moving forward. As we have taken great strides to expand our services and programs beyond Augusta and Georgia, it gives me great pleasure to help lead the way for our Code Boot Camp to launch nationally on-line, promote and direct business development and investment for Valor Mask, theClubhou.se Labs and continue to advocate for ecosystem builders across the country. Though my day-to-day activities will diminish at our location at the Georgia Cyber Center, rest assured that the staff and team locally continue to support the entrepreneurs in the CSRA.
What’s exciting about this new venture is the possibility to collectively raise the bar and share the successes of theClubhou.se and what our members have accomplished and how our community can change the national landscape to help all entrepreneurs. If you are interested in supporting this endeavor, consider becoming a member/partner/sponsor of theClubhou.se to continue the progress we have made to connect founders and funders, learners and leaders in technology, business and design.
