Right to Start Launches First-Ever Network of State Entrepreneurship Leaders
The National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network Will Enhance the Effectiveness of Public Entrepreneurship Leaders Through Peer Connections and Learning
Kansas City, MO – May 1, 2025 – Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority, today announced the launch of the National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network (NELN), the first-ever network to unite state leaders of Offices of Entrepreneurship and/or similarly tasked agencies advancing new models of public support for entrepreneurship. NELN cultivates opportunities for these state leaders to connect, share, and learn, helping them strengthen their work regionally and drive impact nationally.
The National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network is guided by two Co-Chairs, who advise Right to Start on NELN activities:
Ben Marchionna, Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Taylor Overton, Director of the Kansas Entrepreneurship and Small Business Office in the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Other members of NELN to date are as follows:
Tim Cooley, Director of Entrepreneurship, Utah
Shayna Hetzel, Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Wisconsin
Francesca Ioffreda, Chief Innovation Officer, Maryland
Esperanza Massana-Crane, Director of Small Business and Entrepreneurial Development, Arkansas
Neela Mollgaard, Executive Director of the Office of Small Business and Innovation, Minnesota
Nora Meyers Sackett, Director, Office of Strategy, Science, and Technology, New Mexico
David Watkins, Senior Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Indiana.
NELN will expand in the months ahead. The state leaders whom it will bring together are those who have statewide responsibility for strengthening entrepreneurial opportunities, especially by coordinating policies, streamlining processes, and building up the ecosystem.
NELN hosts monthly virtual meetings to discuss topics relevant to the members’ leadership roles, share insights, and explore best practices. The meetings provide a valuable opportunity for state leaders of entrepreneurship to learn from each other. NELN will also host an annual in-person event to deepen relationships, provide training, and facilitate collaboration.
“Statewide Offices of Entrepreneurship are essential to realizing the potential of entrepreneurship to generate business and job growth in every community,” said Victor W. Hwang, Founder and CEO of Right to Start. “It’s, therefore, important that the leaders of these offices have the national support that they need to realize that potential. Right to Start is pleased to be able to offer that support through the National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network.”
Right to Start operates NELN, providing strategic guidance, hosting a digital platform to facilitate member interaction, and drawing on its expertise to support NELN members. There is no cost for state leaders to participate.
New and young businesses create virtually all net job growth in America, and more businesses correlate to higher incomes. Every new business per 100 people adds nearly $500 to average household income in a county, according to GoDaddy Venture Forward data.
New businesses are also leading indicators of GDP growth; people who start businesses earn higher lifetime incomes, and more new businesses correlate with lower income inequality. Every 1% increase in entrepreneurial activity in a state correlates with a 2% decline in poverty.
Additional information on NELN is available at www.righttostart.org/neln. For further information, contact Henry Miller at hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com or 917-921-8034.
Right to Start is a national nonpartisan movement to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority throughout the United States. Entrepreneurship has long been viewed as a solitary endeavor – the lone starter in a basement or garage. Right to Start’s vision is to transform America so that all communities prioritize entrepreneurship, clearing away obstacles to ensure that every American has an equal right to start and a level playing field on which to embark.