Second Social Enterprise Cincy Summit will feature Demo Day from Elevator grads

The second annual Social Enterprise Cincy Summit will take place on Oct. 3 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. In addition to keynote speakers and panel discussions, the event will also feature the Demo Day for the first cohort of Elevator graduates.
 
“We want a broad cross-section of the community to attend the conference and Demo Day,” says Bill Tucker, executive director of Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, which is hosting the event. “Social enterprise traditionally attracts nonprofits and community stakeholders, but there is opportunity for more involvement from startups, consumers, businesses, banks, technology and government. It’s a chance to shift thinking about how purchases, investments and policy decisions are made, and how those decisions impact the community.”
 
The Summit includes two keynote presenters, who will be joined by local experts in a post-presentation discussion.
 
Tamra Ryan, CEO of the Women’s Bean Project, will share the story of the Colorado-based social enterprise that provides employment, job training and soft skills to chronically unemployed and impoverished women. Ryan will focus on the role of social entrepreneurship in supporting and empowering women.
 
Mike Basher is the vice president of retail operations for Fare & Square, a nonprofit, full-service supermarket that opened in a Pennsylvania food desert. His presentation will discuss food insecurity, as well as how social entrepreneurship can strengthen neighborhoods.
 
In addition to the keynotes, Summit attendees will also have networking opportunities and several breakout sessions led by local and national presenters. The Calvert Foundation will host a panel on impact investing, leaders from Thrive will discuss how to leverage technology for good and Engage Partners will explore how integrating a “give back bonus” into a brand is good for business.

“We are excited about the marketplace set-up for the event,” Tucker says. “All the coffee, snacks and lunch will be provided by social enterprises. And it’s an opportunity to show off local social enterprises. It will be a busy, interactive day.”
 
The Summit wraps up with the first Elevator Demo Day. Flywheel launched its accelerator program earlier this summer as a pilot effort supported by the United Way.
 
“Other cities have done similar programs, but all of those that focused solely on nonprofit participants have not done well,” Tucker says. “Elevator has some nonprofit participants but there are others with for-profit structures. We wanted this accelerator program to meet the needs of our community.”
 
Elevator participants received the same type of resources as a traditional accelerator program — classes, mentorship, business planning — but through online, evening and weekend activities as all of the participants are also juggling full-time careers.