Arkansas Starters Coalition kicks off in Springdale

Right to Start, a national nonprofit that promotes entrepreneurship as a civic priority, announced Tuesday (Aug. 13) the launch of the Arkansas Starters Coalition, a statewide entrepreneurship initiative.

According to a press release, entrepreneurship is key to economic growth and quality of life. Young businesses create nearly all net job growth in America, and for every 1% increase in the entrepreneurship rate, the poverty rate falls by 2%.

The launch event took place in downtown Springdale. It included multiple speakers, such as Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse and Conway resident Kim Lane, chief operating officer of Right to Start. A fireside chat included two Fayetteville residents: April Roy, CEO of Fayetteville-based femPAQ, a women-owned business advancing women’s health, and Jeannette Balleza Collins, Right to Start’s heartland coalition manager.

“As a lifelong Arkansan, an entrepreneur and champion of entrepreneurship, I know the amazing potential for new business growth in our state,” Lane said. “But, for entrepreneurs to thrive broadly, there must be a robust environment that supports and encourages them – one that prioritizes making the process of starting a business easier by changing the civic landscape. The Arkansas Starters Coalition is a crucial catalyst for enhancing our entrepreneurial environment so that new businesses can grow dramatically in every community in the state.”

The 12-member coalition will advance entrepreneurship across the state, convene entrepreneurs, identify barriers to starting new businesses, propose policies to remove those barriers, and engage communities, including those that have been historically excluded.

The coalition comprises the following founding member organizations.
Arkansas Coalition of the Marshallese
Conexion de Negocios Latinos
Cureate
EforAll / EparaTodos
FORGE
Multicultural Business Xcellerator
NEXXT Women
NWA Girl Gang
Over a Cup
Right to Start
Southern Capital Project
Velocity Group

“The founding members of the Arkansas Starters Coalition are key to the growth of entrepreneurship across Arkansas,” Collins said. “They have extraordinary knowledge, talent and experience in helping foster entrepreneurship. They will be vital to the future growth and impact of the coalition and to ensuring that entrepreneurship is prioritized and facilitated in every community in the state.”