UA's Cynthia Sides: Making Arkansas Startup Ecosystem a 'Happening' Place
Cynthia Sides, associate director for the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and founding director of the UA's IGNITE program, recently joined a group of New Venture Development students in San Francisco.
The UA students met with the Arkansas alumni chapter there as well as with startup and investment leaders from the Bay area.
Sides wrote about her experience in Arkansas Money & Politics, and the trip got her thinking about how to continue growing the Arkansas startup ecosystem into a "happening" place.
A sample:
Completely energized and motivated, our entrepreneurship students were buzzing, both during and after the trip, with comments and ideas that were sparked by or discussed in meetings in San Francisco; however, there were a couple of comments that were expressed numerous times. Not only were our students impressed by the humility, eagerness to help, and graciousness of everyone we met in San Francisco, but they were also greatly moved by how hopeful these individuals are for the entrepreneurial success of U of A students and of Arkansas. Our students also enjoyed hearing the perspective of how others outside Arkansas think, especially in an area “where it’s happening.”
Where it’s happening … I was especially struck by this phrase. It clearly describes the Bay Area and Silicon Valley with respect to innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, but it does beg the question, “How does the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Arkansas become an area also known as a place ‘where it’s happening’?”
Good stuff. Read the full post here. And look for more from Dr. Sides in this space soon....