Urban Entrepreneurship is about addressing important problems and pursuing opportunities so that people who live in cities and towns can experience a better quality of life. An innovator or entrepreneur who aims to create a business to pursue urban opportunities should be asking two key questions: 1) What needs, gripes, problems, ideas, proposals, or blessings are urban residents expressing? 2) What currently operating businesses are already doing a great job at addressing an important urban community need?
These two questions are the basis for two new public-facing tools on the UEI Urban Innovator Platform. The “Sound Off!” tool invites people to offer an informal statement about something they are seeing in the community, positive or negative. The “Spot a Business!” tool gives people the opportunity to identify a business that is providing an innovative solution to an important community need. Both of these tools are simple to use, and neither requires the contributor to be a UEI member. Over time, the information we collect through these tools will help reveal needs, opportunities, ideas, and promising solutions that innovators and entrepreneurs can act upon.
Posting a contribution to either tool should take no more than five minutes. We invite you to post to either or both tools—and to come back as often as you like. Encourage your friends and family and colleagues to post a contribution as well.
Activate Everybody
This is where “Doing the Work” of urban innovation begins. This is what we mean when we say that everybody can play a role in urban innovation. Our goal is to see new companies and new innovations spring from the contributions that everyday people provide through these tools.
Ready to do something? Click either image below to Sound Off! or Spot a Business!
One thought on “This is where Urban Entrepreneurship begins”
I serve on the UEI Board because I believe some of the best ideas come from people who are closest to the challenges their communities face every day. Throughout my career, I’ve learned that meaningful innovation starts with listening, whether it’s to patients, entrepreneurs, researchers, or neighborhood residents. What I love about UEI is that it gives everyone a chance to contribute, not just people who consider themselves innovators or business owners. When we create ways for people to share what they’re seeing, what’s working, and what’s missing, we uncover opportunities that can lead to stronger businesses, stronger neighborhoods, and a better future for our communities.