Understanding the Venture Economy: America’s Hidden Resilience Factor

A grassroots non-profit manned by a changemaker with a laptop, artisanal treats sold at a local farmers market, an online art exhibit of handmade, repurposed pieces – “ventures” shape the livelihoods of millions of newfound business owners across the US. Often with no employees and no physical location, these microbusinesses owners are re-writing the definitions of economic growth and job creation.

As Americans face the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday entrepreneurs must also brace for a new, challenging terrain and must continue to rely on their unscripted ingenuity to pave the road ahead.

How are these unique business owners re-inventing themselves to adjust to life upended by a pandemic? What creative steps can be taken to reduce financial hurdles? And how can lawmakers and the community at large support these doers?

The Hill will virtually convene lawmakers, subject matter experts and microbusiness owners to examine the effects of this crisis and learn from new data about the resilience of everyday entrepreneurs.

Tuesday, September 15

1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT

Speakers

• Lori Lightfoot, Mayor, City of Chicago, IL
• Larry Irving, Co-Founder of The Mobile Alliance for Global Good and President and CEO of the Irving Group
• Candis Jones, Owner & Creator, The Jones Market
• Neela Mollgaard, Executive Director, Launch Minnesota
• Jaqi Wright & Nikki Howard, Co-Founders, Furlough Cheesecake

Sponsor Perspective

Aman Bhutani, CEO, GoDaddy

Moderator

Steve Clemons, Editor-at-Large, The Hill

Join the conversation! Tweet us @TheHillEvents using #TheHillVentures

SPONSORED CONTENT MESSAGE

Microbusinesses, while largely unrecognized, play a critical role in local economies in terms of health and resiliency in the face of economic challenges. GoDaddy has partnered with economists and political scientists at UCLA Forecast, the University of Iowa and Arizona State University for a multi-year research project called Venture Forward, that looks at the impact of these microbusinesses on their communities. Read about the latest findings based on anonymized data of 20m+ active GoDaddy domains.