Janet Soto RodriguezEntrepreneurship Strategist Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Imagine...

…that every entrepreneur has access to high-quality resources, tools, mentoring, and capital to launch, grow, and scale a viable business, no matter where they live or who they are.

Inefficient network

Invisible services Insufficient resources Unequal access system

Barriers

entrepreneurship

innovation

capital

• STEAM/CTE• University tech transfer• Federal grants (SBIR/STTR)• Prototype support

• Incubators and accelerators• Small Business Development

Centers• Economic Development Districts• Mentors and coaches

• Oregon Growth Board• Angel investors and seed funds• Venture capitalists and

conferences• Community capital

Business Oregon I&E

2 31Strategies

Make non-local resources accessible

Serve all stages of

business from startup to scale

Gather and make local resources

visible

The rural entrepreneurship initiative

Phase One

La Grande

Baker City

Klamath Falls

Coos Bay

Janet Soto Rodriguezjanet.c.soto@oregon.govEntrepreneurship Strategist Innovation & Entrepreneurship

98%

2%

100 Employees

89%

11%

20 Employees

82%

18%

9 Employees

Oregon Companies by employment

9 Employees or Less82%

10 Employees or More18%

Oregon CompaniesBy Employment

101,000 companies with under 9 employees106,860 individuals unemployed today Imagine if each small firm hired one more person…