The America21 Project (http://blackinnovation.org) is the nation's only national authoritative voice dedicated to Inclusive Competitiveness through the building of urban innovation ecosystems that connect economically disconnected sectors with existing regional innovation clusters to strengthen the overall economy. America21 is a valuable resource for economic regions, education institutions, communities, conferences, summits, business and political leaders seeking to invest and uplift economically disconnected sectors across America to connect with the 21st century innovation economy and strengthen America's global competitiveness.

1. Building Inclusive Competitiveness in Urban
America from Pipeline to Productivity
Changing the economic narrative
Developing innovation ecosystems
Connecting the disconnected
©2012 A21

2. Building Inclusive Competitiveness in Urban
Entrepreneurship
America from Pipeline to Productivity
Access to Capital
Changing the economic narrative
Developing innovation ecosystems
Connecting the disconnected
©2012 A21

3. America’s Transitioning Economy
19th century 20th century
agrarian economy manufacturing and service economy
21st century
Knowledge-based, tech-driven
Since 1980, nearly ALL net new jobs are due
to companies five years old and younger.*
*Kauffman Foundation report, 2010 ©2012 A21

4. America’s Transitioning Economy
19th century 20th century
agrarian economy manufacturing and service economy
GAZELLES: Comprise less than 1% of all companies
However …
21st Century
INNOVATION ECONOMY RISK
Fastest-growing
DISRUPTIVE
Capital young firms
Ideas HIGH-GROWTH account for 10%
entrepreneurs
of all net new
jobs every year!
©2012 A21

5. WHAT IS AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM?
PIPELINE: STEM education (science, technology,
engineering and math) is the common ground cultivated to
produce America’s innovative high-growth entrepreneurs.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Cultivating a culture of
entrepreneurship requires wraparound resources, education,
networking events, workshops, mentoring and pitch sessions.
HIGH-GROWTH entrepreneurship has produced nearly ALL
net new jobs in America, since 1980.*
ACCESS TO CAPITAL: A culture of risk capital
(angel investors and venture capital) is required to fuel
startup and early stage growth companies that create
jobs and exponential economic impact.
Source: Kauffman Foundation
©2012 A21

6. WHAT IS AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM?
PIPELINE: STEM education (science, technology,
engineering and math) is the common ground cultivated to
produce America’s innovative high-growth entrepreneurs.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Cultivating a culture of
entrepreneurship requires wraparound resources, education,
networking events, workshops, mentoring and pitch sessions.
HIGH-GROWTH entrepreneurship has produced nearly ALL
net new jobs in America, since 1980.*
ACCESS TO CAPITAL: A culture of risk capital
(angel investors and venture capital) is required to fuel
“Silicon Valley would still be smart engineers sitting
startup and early stage growth companies that create
jobs and exponential economic impact. garages without a culture of risk capital.”
in their
Source: Kauffman Foundation Steve Blank, Professor of Entrepreneurship
Stanford University

7. America’s Innovation Economy
21st
CONNECTED century DISCONNECTED
Entrepreneurial No Ecosystem
Ecosystem
Public-Private risk capital No investment
infrastructure infrastructure
Exponential job growth No job growth
©2012 A21

8. America’s Innovation Economy
$30B $9B
2011: Amount venture 2011: Amount angels
capitalists invested in invested in early stage
3051 companies (not companies in the first
including angel half (Q1/Q2) of 2011.
investors).* $3.5B targeted startup
companies.*
Source: CBInsights & Center for Venture Research, University of New Hampshire

9. America’s Innovation Economy
$30B $9B
2011: Amount venture capitalists 2011: Amount angels invested in
invested in 3051 companies (not early stage companies in the first
including angel investors).* half (Q1 / Q2) of 2011. $3.5B
targeted startup companies.*
The yield rate for Minorities represent just 5% of
investments in minority the angel investment space.
entrepreneurs is 17%, Minority entrepreneurs pitching
which is higher than overall to angels in 2011 = 11%.
market yield rates.*
Source: CBInsights & Center for Venture Research, University of New Hampshire

10. BADNEWS
TREND: U.S. Manufacturing Employment
as a Percentage of Total U.S. Employment
African Americans suffer
chronic high
1960: 29%
unemployment at twice
the rate of White
Americans. That stat has
remained consistent every
year since Dr. Martin
Luther King complained of
chronic joblessness on the 2011: 9%
Washington Mall in 1963.
©2012 A21

11. BADNEWS
TREND: U.S. Manufacturing Employment
as a Percentage of Total U.S. Employment
African Americans suffer
chronic high
1960: 29%
unemployment at twice
the rate of White
Americans. That stat has
remained consistent every
year since Dr. Martin
LutherMinorities are of
King complained
chronic joblessness on the
over-represented 2011: 9%
Washington Mall in 1963.
in manufacturing
and service
sector job
markets. ©2012 A21

12. GOODNEWS
HOMEWOOD
has an Urban
Innovation
Ecosystem
©2012 A21

13. GOODNEWS
HOMEWOOD
has an Urban
+ PARTNERS
Innovation
Ecosystem
©2012 A21

14. Building Inclusive Competitiveness
in Urban America
from Pipeline to Productivity
Urban Innovation21
TEAM
Carlow University
PIPELINE: Community College of Allegheny County
Duquesne University
Institute for Transfusion Medicine
Point Park University
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Idea Foundry
Innovation Works
ACCESS TO CAPITAL: Idea Foundry
Innovation Works
PNC Bank
Hill House Economic Development Corporation
Heinz Endowment
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh

15. Building Inclusive Competitiveness
in Urban America
Vision from Pipeline to Productivity
Strategies
COACH Outcomes Urban Innovation21
TEAM
Carlow University
PIPELINE: Community College of Allegheny County
Duquesne University
Institute for Transfusion Medicine
Point Park University
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Idea Foundry
Innovation Works
ACCESS TO CAPITAL: Idea Foundry
Innovation Works
PNC Bank
Hill House Economic Development Corporation
Heinz Endowment
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh

16. VISION
What if HOMEWOOD were
Ground Zero for the best and
brightest minds in Urban
Innovation to assemble and
lend their expertise and best
practices to generating
strategies for economic
revitalization of HOMEWOOD?

17. Partnership
VISION Summit
What if HOMEWOOD were
Ground Zero for the best and
brightest minds in Urban
Innovation to assemble and
Urban Innovation21 Economic Summit
lend their expertise and best Leaders
Pipeline: Entrepreneurial Education
Entrepreneurship: High-Growth Resources
practices to generating
Capital: Angels, Foundations, VCs, Banks
strategies for economic
revitalization of HOMEWOOD?
Changing the narrative

18. STRATEGY
What if HOMEWOOD developed its
own urban innovation ecosystem?

19. STRATEGY
What if HOMEWOOD developed its
own urban innovation ecosystem?
Generating channels of creative activity
can help disrupt the current paradigm and
HOMEWOOD refocus the attention on problem-solving
Idea Machine through entrepreneurship.
HOMEWOOD Online platform empowers anyone with
an idea to plug it into the Idea Machine
Urban and receive feedback on viable resources
Innovators to advance the idea.
HOMEWOOD Urban Innovators and Angels groups help
develop the framework for an internal
Urban Angels urban innovation ecosystem.

20. WHO ARE WE?
A21 is a national nonprofit dedicated to inculcating a
new economic vision for economically disconnected
sectors of Urban America.
2011
CNN screenings: A21 is the ONLY authoritative national voice
Black In America, articulating a message of job growth and wealth
Silicon Valley
creation within a 21st century Innovation Economy
Portland, Oregon framework.
Urban Innovation
Roundtable A21 works to connect the economically
Gathering of Angels disconnected through a core framework of:
& Entrepreneurs
• STEM Education & Workforce Development
Minority Biomedical
Entrepreneurship • High-Growth Entrepreneurship
Conference • Access to Capital & Risk Capital Formation
National Association
of Black Journalists:
Media Entrepreneur
©2012 A21
workshops & panels

21. WHO ARE WE?
Johnathan Holifield is co-founder Dr. Chad Womack is a co-founder Mike Green is a co-founder
and Principal of The America21 and Principal of The America21 and Principal of The
Project and serves as the A21 Project and serves as the A21 America21 Project and serves
economic development expert. Managing Director. His background as the A21 mass
His background includes: includes: communications expert. His
Led the 100-day community initiative, with more Extensive background in science, science background includes:
than 300 volunteers that launched CincyTechUSA, education, biotechnology, tech-entrepreneurship
and innovation-based economic development. 14 years award-winning journalist:
comprised of university presidents, Fortune 500
CEOs, innovation entrepreneurs and technology • New York Times Leadership Academy Fellow
advocates. Dubbed the “Regional Voice of Co-founded and launched 3GEN Vaccines Inc. – a • Graduate of the Maynard Media Institute at
Technology and Innovation.” nanobiotechnology company, and served as the Harvard
company’s founding President and Chief Science • CNN.com training
Partnered with universities and businesses to Officer (CSO). • Dow Jones: Conceived, led and managed
form $40M of risk capital, which sparked the award-winning online news website and
creation of a $250M network of early-stage Served as the founding President and Chair of social media platforms. Many awards for
investment funds to spur high-growth TBED21, Inc. a technology- based economic editorial writing, editing and page design at
entrepreneurship while building an inclusive development nonprofit organization dedicated to Oregon at Dow Jones Local Media Group
regional technology and innovation movement empowering urban centers and underserved daily newspaper in Oregon.
that created Ohio’s first information technology- communities through science, technology and
based urban high school. innovation. Internet Tech Entrepreneur:
Founder and CEO of Vizitnow3D, Inc.;
Partnered with universities, businesses and Established the Philadelphia STEM Innovation Co-founder of Epiphany3D, LLC.
nonprofits to obtain more than $40M in grant Center and the Philadelphia Biotechnology and
funding, cash investments and in-kind support for Life Sciences Institute (PBLSI).
research and commercialization to nurture a high-
growth entrepreneurial ecosystem, including a Completed post-graduate research fellowships at
business accelerator and training program. the National Institutes of Health (NIH),; the
Harvard AIDS Institute and the Harvard School of
Received Ohio gubernatorial appointment to the Public Health.
Midwest Governors Association Investments for
the Knowledge-based Economy Project, serving as Dr. Womack earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical
co-chair of the Increasing Research Capacity and Sciences from the Morehouse School of Medicine,
Accelerating Commercialization Team. and is a proud graduate of Morehouse College.
Received gubernatorial appointment to the Ohio
House and Senate Joint Legislative Commission on ©2012 A21
High-Tech Business.

22. Contact Us:
Developing Inclusive Competitive
General:
Urban Innovation Ecosystems
info@blackinnovation.org
Mike Green
A21 Co-founder
Email:
Mike@blackinnovation.org
Phone:
541.730.2164
©2012 A21

23. QUESTIONS

24. QUESTIONS
Oakland, CA
Example:
Urban Fire is a 2-part program that teaches the
principles of entrepreneurship to inner city
residents in Oakland, Calif. and then provides
resources to assist them in launching their business.