
Sitting across the table from Shane Johnson at the RAIN accelerator in Downtown Eugene, Oregon it is clear that this is a man passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs and his local area. His enthusiasm and positivity are infectious.
Shane has had three successful startups and while he is still very much involved in his own ventures, his “current mission is to help my community of Eugene/Springfield grow a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem of scalable traded sector companies.”
He does this by volunteering his time as a Mentor in Residence at the RAIN accelerator in downtown Eugene. Here young entrepreneurs are taken on a 16-week program to help them develop their ideas from dreams to businesses.
The RAIN accelerator was created by bringing together “resources from local governments, upper education institutions & state organizations to support the generation of innovative startup companies.” Along with other mentors, Shane volunteers his time free of charge to help guide this generation of entrepreneurs. The building, also provided free of charge, is a beautiful work environment with all the facilities that a new startup might need.
Shane will be the first to admit that a place like Eugene will struggle to compete with neighbouring cities such as Portland and Seattle. The aim for the people here is “to grow the local economy by growing small companies that might go larger. If they leave because of lack resources that’s still a win for us because they might come back.”
We are pointed to a young entrepreneur who successfully came through the accelerator program here as he gives advice to a newer member of the community on an upcoming pitch. The mentality of giving back is alive and well here and helps places like Eugene to punch above their weight when it come to entrepreneurship.
