Building Inclusive Ecosystems: Reflections from HBCU@SXSW [PODCAST]

Building Inclusive Ecosystems: Reflections from HBCU@SXSW [PODCAST]

How can we build ecosystems that put entrepreneurs of color at the center? At HBCU@SXSW we had a conversation about how inclusive ecosystem building can address the country’s legacy of racial disparities by engaging, investing in, and supporting founders of color.


This March, we joined OHUB in Austin for their signature program, HBCU@SXSW, where African American, Pan Asian, and Latinx students are sponsored to gain immersive exposure, interactive learning opportunities and direct access to paid summer internships and early career roles.

Rodney Sampson, the founder of OHUB, welcomed us to HBCU@SXSW, where we met and interviewed professionals and executives of corporations focused on operationalizing racial equity. All of our interviews are featured in this podcast series, Planning for the New Majority: A collection of stories from OHUB@SXSW19.

Check out episodes one and two!

Our final episode, “Inclusive Ecosystems,” features Rodney Sampson from Opportunity Hub, Dell Gines from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Catarina Schwab from NPX, and Ben Hect from Living Cities. Listen to learn how racial equity can be embedded into the process of creating a network of support for founders of color and the role that both private and institutional investors can play to accelerate this process.

In the podcast, Rodney and Dell share the value of cross-sector relationships such as their own. Check out their report, Building Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Communities of Color, informed by their experiences in different sectors.

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