President Barak Obama once said, “We’ve got to have the brightest minds to help solve our biggest challenges.” San Francisco, California attempts to live out that call.
This city is launching the Entrepreneurship-in-Residence program from mid-October to mid-February. People who own technological start-ups or small businesses who can contribute in making their community a better place can still apply. During this four month program, participants can get mentorship and connections from San Francisco government and business leaders. They can attend trainings on working with the government on issues like security and data standards. You can get on a platform and offer your services to local governments. Big time tech companies like Yahoo and Nokia are taking part. This could be the jackpot for many struggling startups and small businesses. They estimate there is up to $142 billion dollars worth of opportunity. The application process is still open. If successful this program will go to Los Angeles next.
You know, I hope this program is successful. Stats don’t lie: some polls have government approval rates as low as 13 percent. People don’t have a high opinion of big business either. If theses two entities can team up and help smaller business prosper and help their neighborhoods prosper, I think people will see them in a different light. San Francisco is a great start, with Silicon Valley being nearby. In the next several years I hope every major city in America has this kind of program. Think about it: it this is successful nationwide, jobs can be created, community relations can be strengthened, and business can prosper. Wouldn’t that solve a lot of city problems?