“You have to have a long-term view – at least 20 years from today – to emphasize the importance of both the startup community to a city and a long-term view for anyone involved in a startup community.” – Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway, Startup Community Way
It’s the greater Sacramento region’s time
The greater Sacramento region’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems have been on the rise, from the champions on the ground, to the regional and national headlines sharing the growth in capital investment, as well as successfully scaled Sacramento homegrown startups.
Sacramento, the indomitable city, has always been one to rise to a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic hit many cities and regions hard, but Sacramento met the moment, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem banded together to become stronger than ever. Partners strengthened their collaborations by supporting each other’s efforts to co-create and build offerings to better serve the needs of our region’s entrepreneurs.
The result has been a surge of entrepreneurial activity and a growing feeling of the entrepreneurial spirit, which is a regional sense that we can build and grow our future from within. We have never been the best at telling our story as a region. When surveyed in 2021 about four elements of our entrepreneurial ecosystem — people, programs, capital, narratives – the narratives element scored among the lowest.
Let’s tell our story and celebrate all that is going on in the greater Sacramento entrepreneurial ecosystem. How might we do that?
Global Entrepreneurship Week
The greater Sacramento region will join for another global campaign celebrating entrepreneurship and the role it plays in our communities through Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 14 – 18. This week will entail more than 30 events, from pitch competitions and panel discussions to workshops and inspirational talks. It will serve as a regional and international platform to elevate all that is taking place in regional and national entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Global Entrepreneurship Week is a program of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), an international nonprofit supporting entrepreneurship around the globe. This year, GEN celebrates its 15th year running this campaign, inspiring and generating entrepreneurial activity. The greater Sacramento region has silently ranked among the nation’s top Global Entrepreneurship Week campaigns. Specifically, the last two years the greater Sacramento region ranked in the top five cities/regions for the number of events run and the Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has put Sacramento State in the No. 2 spot for university campaigns.
“Another stand out campus was Sacramento State with an impressive 36 GEW activities. The Sacramento State GEW campaign not only stands out because of the number of activities but also because of the amount of collaboration and partnerships,” said Ellen Erickson, past director of Ecosystem. “This campaign has taken to heart the role they as an educational institution play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
To further speak to our silent success, I was honored to represent the Carlsen Center as one of five finalists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a global award, Ecosystem Champion of the Year.
The region is gearing up for another successful campaign, and we want you to plug in, learn, grow, inspire and build the future of our region.
The time is now, and let’s not miss our opportunity to accelerate and become what we know we can be as a region: a premier hub for entrepreneurial activity.
Tap Into the 2022 GEW Campaign
This year will be jam-packed with events, workshops, and competitions to attend. Learn more about some of the signature events at Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Events/activities to check out
- Sacramento Entrepreneurial State of the Union – 5:30 p.m., Nov. 14.
- Opportunity and Possibility – The Pathway to Success featuring Kwame Anku of Black Star Fund; 11 a.m., Nov. 15.
- Startup Happy Hour featuring Sonny Mayugba of Azra Games – 4:30 p.m., Nov. 15.
- Mentor Sprint – Entrepreneurs, Advisors, and Investors – 1:30 p.m., Nov. 16 (entrepreneur sign up | mentor sign up).
- Spark Venture Competition and Early-Stage Startup Panel – 5 p.m., Nov. 16.
The Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State serves as a regional hub and platform for providing approachable and accessible entrepreneurial education, community and support to enable startup founders of all backgrounds to explore and launch their ventures.
Cameron Law is the executive director of the Carlsen Center, a passionate entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, and a proud Sacramento native.
