Heartland Forward is a think and do tank dedicated to being a resource for states and communities – helping to advance the economic opportunity in the heartland
A Different Approach to Entrepreneurship: The Community Growth Program + Toolkit
Community Growth Program + Toolkit
A different approach to entrepreneurship.
Did you know:
75% of venture capital has gone to just three states, all on the coasts
Of $150B invested in capital funds, only 2% goes to women
Less than 5,000 ventures got funded in 2021.
We’re filling in the gaps.
Idea Accelerator
The Builders + Backers (B+B) Idea Accelerator powered by Heartland Forward is a 90-day program, a proven onramp to entrepreneurship, helping participants (we call them Builders) put their business ideas into action.
Builders receive $5,000 in pebble grant funding to run experiments to test the demand and early-stage feasibility for their idea.
The Toolkit
The Community Growth Program Toolkit is an online platform that is meant to support economic developers and entrepreneurs who are looking for resources. The toolkit:
Establishes community by aggregating all of the builders who have gone through the Idea Accelerator program and posting information on their ventures so that they can be contacted for opportunities.
Presents data using Heartland Forward’s Entrepreneurial Capacity Index & Tool, also known as the “Impact Calculator” on how specific states can pull certain levers to improve their entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Presents data using the Data Explorer to paint a picture of the status of your metro area on several overall economic indicators.
Stepping Stones
The Stepping Stones Intensive is the next phase of the Idea Accelerator to help entrepreneurs who have gone through the program scale their businesses.
Members of the Stepping Stones program participate in a three-day intensive workshop and receive additional non-dilutive funding to go toward their business.
The goal of this new program is to help high-capacity Builders with promising ventures get on a path toward $1M in revenue and having 2-3 full-time employees.
Get in touch with us today to receive information on how to bring the CGPT to your community:
Where We BUILD
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oxford, Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Iowa City, Iowa
Oklahoma City
Joplin, Missouri
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Fort Worth, Texas Health Cohort
Duluth, Minnesota
Durant, Oklahoma
Fargo, North Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Northeast Tennessee
West Tennessee
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
Alabama (workforce cohort)
Detroit, Michigan
Montgomery, AL
Birmingham, AL
Our entrepreneurs are called Builders!
Join our cohort of entrepreneurs or “Builders” in:
Tulsa, OK
Oxford, MS
Clarksdale, MS
Iowa City, Iowa
Oklahoma City
Joplin, MO
Pine Bluff, AR
Helena-West Helena, AR
Northwest Arkansas
Fort Worth Health Cohort
Duluth, MN
Why is this important:Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of a local economy. All of us have ideas but don’t necessarily see ourselves as an entrepreneur. This new modernized approach to entrepreneurship provides an opportunity to take an idea and put it into action to see if it will work – and maybe even scale, at no cost.
Drilling down further:Builders are supported with a $5,000 Pebble Grant to test their ideas and are mentored by Master Builders throughout the program.
Over the past year, Heartland Forward and Builders + Backers have used this new approach to problem solving to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking and action across the heartland. Since May 2021, we have supported 65 Builders to launch their ideas and solve community challenges.
Our goal is to inspire more people to see themselves as entrepreneurs, equip them to create new ventures and solve problems.