Page 11 - BusinessWest April 18, 2022
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                                  VVM
Continued from page 8
our entrepreneurs.
“What VVM’s programs will do from there is pull
together the stakeholders, be the advocate to figure out how we get funding to support indepth initiatives that can really address the challenges and barriers for our entrepreneurs,” she went on. “I’ve been working very hard over the past few years to strengthen the relation- ship with other organizations in the entrepreneurial
“Supporting a lot of these initiatives and really threading them together to build out and strengthen our regional entrepreneurial ecosystem is one of our priorities.”
ecosystem, other technical-assistance providers, and all of the others operating in the space supporting entrepreneurs. I see VVM stepping in to support a lot of these amazing initiatives that are helping to build that ecosystem.”
As just one example, she cited the Blueprint East- hampton entrepreneurship program, an regional resource-mapping initiative launched by the city’s mayor, Nicole LaChapelle, to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and STEM education.
And there are countless others, she noted, adding that they often target specific communities or regions, sectors of the economy, or stages of starting and scal- ing a business.
Another example would be an initiative called the Western Mass Founders Network, funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and launched by the EDC in partnership with other agen- cies, including Greentown Labs.
The network was designed for companies that are more advanced, are looking for funding, or might already have received funding, said Sullivan, adding that the group meets monthly and hears from speakers on topics chosen by the business owners with the goal of helping them move to the next level.
“There’s also monthly meetings that are happening with resource partners such as SCORE, the Mass. Small Business Development Center, and other organizations that are supporting entrepreneurs,” said Ross Gibaldi, adding that one of her broad goals is to create more awareness of all that is happening within the ecosys- tem and create more partnerships to better serve the region.
“I found that, often, we as organizations are operat- ing in silos and often are unaware of what’s happen- ing with the other agencies,” she explained. “When that happens, we do a disservice to our entrepreneurs because we’re not fully aware of the opportunities in the Valley. And how are we supposed to take advan- tage of them and encourage our entrepreneurs to take advantage of them if we don’t know about them? So supporting a lot of these initiatives and really threading them together to build out and strengthen our regional entrepreneurial ecosystem is one of our priorities.”
Work
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“The work culture hasn’t really accounted for that type of situation because it’s a more recent consideration.”
All these issues are called out in the report to enable the state to have information on what’s needed to help workers in the years ahead, he added. “The state needs to do its part to make sure all these work-adjacent issues are considered when planning the future of work.”
Strong Foundation
While all these issues and concerns can sound dramatic and overwhelming, Lesser said it’s important to remember all the contri- butions made by the Massachusetts economy and its workers. Early development of COVID vaccines, as well as many breakthroughs in life sciences and new technologies, are just some of the innovations the state can claim.
“We are well-positioned to benefit from all these changes because we have a highly skilled workforce, great educational institu- tions, and leadership in many fields,” he noted.
Looking ahead, Massachusetts has a posi- tive story to tell. Lesser said the next chal- lenge is to make sure “this booming engine of a state” includes all communities.
“As a result of all the changes in the work- place, we are making contributions to the world. Now we want to make sure we contin- ue to do this without leaving people behind in the process.” u
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BusinessWest
FEATURE
APRIL 18, 2022 11
Meanwhile, VVM continues to offer its own broad slate of programs while partnering with other agencies on different initiatives. In that first category are VVM’s community
nights, on
the second
 VVM
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