Editor's Note: This is part of an in-depth series evaluating the innovation economy in D.C. leading up to our State of Innovation conference on June 26.
If you are active in the D.C. startup community, you've probably met Jeff Reid. He's hard to miss at 6'6'' and enthusiastic to connect with entrepreneurs. Jeff is Founding Director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative, which he started in 2009 after growing a similar program at the University of North Carolina from inception to the top national ranking.
What Jeff is spearheading at Georgetown is part of a major trend that is thriving in the D.C. region: universities teaching entrepreneurship on campus. One of the area's greatest strengths is the abundance of young talent – an asset fueled by a number of top higher education institutions. The next step is for organizations like the Entrepreneurship Initiative to provide students with the skills and desire to build a business in the D.C. area.
I recently sat down with Jeff as part of a series of conversations with innovative leaders in the area. We chatted about StartupHoyas (the Initiative's banner name) success stories, the local relationship between universities and the business community, and the advantages to building a business in D.C.
Check out the video interview below. Additional insight from Jeff and other key community leaders will be shown in an exclusive video presentation at State of Innovation on Thursday, June 26.
Special thanks to GRVTY for video production. Look forward to more film from the GRVTY team leading up to our State of Innovation conference.
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