Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Youtube Music | RSS

Entrepreneurship is part of the American Dream and it is booming. A record 5.4 million new businesses were started last year, as workers across the country struck out on their own, searching for a different path to a fulfilling career and economic mobility. But that road isn’t always a smooth one for some new business owners who hit roadblocks such as access to financial capital, lack of a strong social network, and other barriers to success.

In this special four-part Work in Progress podcast series – Economic Mobility Through Entrepreneurship – we’ll examine those headwinds and solutions. We’ll hear directly from entrepreneurs, and get advice from leaders in business, education, and government – to learn how starting your own business can be a fulfilling and profitable career choice and a boon to a community.  

This podcast series is made possible through the support of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

According to research by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, in 2021 one out of ten new entrepreneurs in the U.S. were Black. Around one in 14 were Asian American. One quarter were Hispanic. And more than half were white. 

The percentage of entrepreneurs from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds is growing,  but they still have significant barriers to accessing the financial capital they need to start and grow their businesses. 

In this episode, we’ll speak with business owners of color who faced those barriers and overcame them to create and build their companies. We’ll also hear from the leaders of programs that are helping fund and mentor these businesses, putting them on a path to success.

Guests in this episode:

• Kelly Holmes, founder & editor-in-Chief, Native Max New Media
• Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, co-founder, Known Holdings
• Lisa Gevelber, founder, Grow with Google
• Oscar Pedroso, founder & CEO, Thimble IO
• Bill Bynum, founder & CEO, HOPE
• Tinia Pina, founder & CEO, Re-Nuble

Episode 250: Breaking Down the Barriers to Equitable Access to Financial Capital
Host & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNation
Producer: Larry Buhl
Executive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa Panzer
Theme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4.0
Download the transcript for this podcast here.
You can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts