Talk Business & Politics Daily: The entrepreneurship, energy and VP pick edition
by July 19, 2016 4:02 pm 192 views
Editor’s note: You can watch the full video of today’s Talk Business & Politics Daily at the end of this report, or download an audio version through the iTunes store under “Talk Business & Politics.”
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Tuesday’s edition of Talk Business & Politics Daily focuses on an upcoming entrepreneurship summit coming to central Arkansas, a new major meeting space in Bentonville, the Arkansas Energy Report, and the pick of Mike Pence for Vice-president.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT
While there is a hotbed of entrepreneurial startup activity occurring all over the state – particularly in central and Northwest Arkansas – Little Rock will be the focus of a summit starting later this week.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola will host the Mayor’s Summit on Entrepreneurship in Little Rock on July 21st and 22nd. The summit will be held in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City and the Venture Center in Little Rock, along with sponsors Acxiom, Winrock International, and the Delta Regional Authority. The Summit will gather a group of local leaders and entrepreneurs in a community forum that is aimed towards spurring job creation, entrepreneurial thinking, and economic growth.
The main event is on Friday at the Acxiom building in downtown Little Rock’s River Market. In addition to a number of panels and speakers, two primary speakers will be worth the price of admission alone. Evan Absher, Program Officer for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will outline research and current trends in entrepreneurship. Trey Bowles, Co-Founder & CEO of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), will be the keynote speaker at lunch. Details on registering here.
In an interview with Talk Business & Politics Daily, Mayor Stodola says that a lot of progress has been made with the startup scene in central Arkansas, but early investor capital is a big missing puzzle piece. However, the environment is right for growth and the capital city’s latest experiment with the FinTech accelerator could be a model for future success.
“You know, we have created a real environment – with FIS, we have the Financial Tech accelerator going on. There are 10 firms from around the country and a couple from out of the country that are there. Three or four of them are talking about moving here. I think that’s exciting,” Stodola said. “My job is to boost and create the environment that makes people want to stay here, and so I am excited about that I think the ingredient – if we can figure out some of the early stage investment issues and educate people about this area – I think we are going to have a good shot to create our own unique niche.”
Stodola also discussed his expectations for the Little Rock Tech Park and the burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem in Arkansas.
ADDITIONAL
Watch today’s Talk Business & Politics Daily digital newscast below, including an excerpt from this week’s broadcast program featuring Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin and former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker discussing the Vice-presidential picks for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as well as our Top Stories of the day and the highlights of the most recent Arkansas Energy Report.