CEED: About This Report
Think Rubix, in partnership with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, developed the Community Economic Ecosystem Design (CEED) a multiphase project with the overall goal to organize a vibrant and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Greater Little Rock.
This report provides a historico-cultural analysis of the economic landscape specific to entrepreneurs of color and women entrepreneurs in Greater Little Rock.
To develop this analysis, we began with a few questions: What is the root cause of gaps in entrepreneurial participation among women founders and founders of color in Greater Little Rock? What are the barriers to entry facing these entrepreneurs? What prevents the region from enjoying a vibrant and inclusive economic ecosystem?
This report is a response to their questions. We aim to inform public and private stakeholders on the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem framework that is tailored to promote economic inclusion and shared mobility. To further this objective, we outlined three goals.
Perform a landscape analysis that explores the history of social and economic policies that shape the contemporary environment in which today’s entrepreneurs navigate.
Gather data and testimony directly from entrepreneurs of color and women founders that inform the metrics and measures to be included in the development of an inclusive entrepreneurial framework.
Issue recommendations for the next iteration of CEED, and refer to model programs and case studies from similarly situated cities to form the basis of an equitable, sustainable ecosystem framework.
To achieve these goals, our team applied multiple methods to craft a narrative around our guiding questions. We conducted archival research, administered surveys electronically to more than 150 local entrepreneurs, facilitated focus groups, and conducted interviews with a diverse group of ecosystem stakeholders.
For deeper analysis, CEED’s assessment geotargeted both the 12th Street Corridor and the Southwest Little Rock Arkansas Business District, two of the most diverse and distressed areas of Little Rock.
