Inclusive Entrepreneurship - Syracuse University Project

Syracuse University Project

Inclusive Entrepreneurship is also the name of a project which evolved from the Start-Up NY Pilot Project funded by Office of Disability Employment Policy by DOL in Onondaga County, Syracuse University.

It defines inclusive entrepreneurship as:

“A strategy and process for assisting people with diverse disabilities and/or economic and social disadvantages to become entrepreneurs through business planning training, use of customized business development goal and support planning, and access to financial resources utilizing the resources of diverse public and private partners working within a consensus-driven, collaborative framework”.
(Definition courtesy of Gary Shaheen from BBI and Mirza Tihic from Whitman School of Management (Syracuse University))

Inclusive Entrepreneurship utilizes practices and partnerships developed through the three year (2006-2009) US Department of Labor/Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)-funded “Start-Up NY” program and the five year (2009-2014) Small Business Association’s Program for Investment in Micro-entrepreneurs (SBA-PRIME). Start-Up NY brought a personal multidisciplinary team consisting of business consultants, disability experts, benefits counselors, mentors, and any identified peer and family supports together with the participant to merge their knowledge and resources, and provide a customized micro-enterprise training, assistance, and counseling resource.

Inclusive Entrepreneurship is led by Syracuse University and its Whitman School of Management/Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises (EEE) together with the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI). However, it is important to note that the success of Inclusive Entrepreneurship as a university and community-based initiative is also based upon the development of key partnerships that are necessary to helping entrepreneurs develop their businesses. These can include the local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and One Stop Career Center as well as key local stakeholders that work with low-income individuals, including low-income people with disabilities, to help them achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Why is Inclusive Entrepreneurship Important?
Inclusive entrepreneurship goes beyond business ownership. It benefits everyone by fostering a fundamental understating of business, community stakeholders, community collaboration, benefits, and the skills and confidence needed for personal and community success. The participants exposed to inclusive entrepreneurship through Start-Up NY and SBA Prime frequently express that they have more opportunity to exercise creative freedoms, develop higher self-esteem, better financial literacy, and an overall greater sense of control over their own lives. Community partners were able to save time and money by implementing a seamless process of inclusive entrepreneurship.

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