Four Pine Bluff entrepreneurs are part of a national accelerator program to turn ideas into reality.
The Idea Accelerator program is a partnership between Heartland Forward, Builders + Backers and Go Forward Pine Bluff. The cohort of four builders in Pine Bluff is part of Heartland Forward's commitment to help fund and support 1,000 builders across the heartland by 2023, according to a news release.
The four participating Pine Bluff builders are: Marcus Davis, OBrennan Moss, Lakita Murray, and Kanesha Adams.
Initially, the group included five local entrepreneurs but one of the selected builders was unable to participate in this summer's cohort, according to a spokesman.
In Pine Bluff, the builders' ideas include a digital platform to help children deal with adverse childhood trauma; reinventing the seat belts and getting citizens to engage with their local community, according to the release.
"Pine Bluff is full of entrepreneurs waiting for the opportunity to turn their dreams into reality," Ryan Watley, chief executive officer of Go Forward Pine Bluff, said in the news release.
"Investing in small businesses is key to ensuring the strength of our local economy, and we're thrilled to partner with Heartland Forward and Builders and Backers to support these builders in their efforts to provide creative solutions to important issues in our community," Watley said.
The participants from Pine Bluff will join builders from nine other cities including Helena and the Northwest Arkansas region in Arkansas; Duluth, Minn.; Joplin, Mo.; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Iowa City, Iowa; Clarksdale, Miss.; and Fort Worth, Texas.
"Thriving small businesses and an entrepreneurial spirit are key to developing local economics and spurring economic revitalization in cities and towns across the heartland," said Ross DeVol, president and CEO of Heartland Forward. "We are excited to welcome this new cohort of Pine Bluff builders to the program, and look forward to seeing what incredible ideas they bring to the community. Heartland Forward is proud to work with entrepreneurs across the heartland and for our commitment to continue supporting this impactful program as part of our commitment to support 1,000 builders by 2023."
The three-month program kicked off June 16. In May, Heartland Forward, Builders + Backers and Go Forward Pine Bluff, announced they were bringing in the Community Growth Program and Toolkit (CGPT), a first-of-its-kind idea accelerator, Pebble Fund and Buildership™ program to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking and action to Pine Bluff.
"Every community has potential game-changing ideas that are lying dormant," said Donna Harris, CEO of Builders + Backers. "We received some exciting submissions in Pine Bluff, and we can't wait to get to work helping these new builders put their ideas into action. This is where the premise behind our Idea Accelerator program gets so interesting. For less than a single venture investment, we're going to unleash and fuel thousands of ideas across the country and see new ventures, initiatives and companies emerge."
At the heart of the CGPT are the Builders + Backers four program pillars, designed to mobilize and equip builders through:
IDEA ACCELERATOR
This cohort-based program combines a 45-day Builder Bootcamp to teach participants how to put ideas into action, followed by 45 days of actively executing their ideas through a single experiment.
PEBBLE FUND
All of the builders are supported by a $5,000 Pebble Grant to test their ideas. Participants are mentored by master builders throughout the program.
STORYTELLING
A comprehensive media program that curates, captures and distributes stories of Buildership™, both from within the programs and in communities. Through video, written stories, social media and media partnerships, the program inspires people to become builders.
BUILDERSHIP WORKSHOPS
Workshops and other events introduce people to the ideas of Buildership and demonstrate that anyone can generate creative solutions through entrepreneurial experimentation that contribute to the sustainability of communities.
The program was piloted in Tulsa, Okla., and Oxford, Miss., with 15 builders solving problems in their communities related to workforce development, volunteerism, increasing food awareness and more. CGPT secured 100% retention from builders and the majority were women and people of color.
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