Government, entrepreneurs invited to roundtable at NE Capitol April 2

State leaders and members of entrepreneurial groups will meet for a roundtable in Lincoln on April 2 to talk about how the government can foster entrepreneurship. The Council of State Governments and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation have partnered to present a lunchtime session and roundtable discussion for Nebraska state policymakers at the Capitol from…

CSG Entrepreneurship Days in the Capitol will be held April 2 at the Nebraska State Capitol.  

State leaders and members of entrepreneurial groups will meet for a roundtable in Lincoln on April 2 to talk about how the government can foster entrepreneurship.

The Council of State Governments (CSG) and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation have partnered to present a lunchtime session and roundtable discussion for Nebraska state policymakers at the Capitol from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Room 1126.

The series will bring experts to explore state-based solutions for increased entrepreneurship and stronger, more successful startups. Roundtables also are scheduled in Arizona, Connecticut and Tennessee. 

State leaders know entrepreneurs not only create jobs but also contribute to an increase in wages and standards of living, said Dane Stangler, VP of research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation.

“The formation and growth of new businesses is the fundamental source of job creation and innovation in every U.S. state,” said Stangler, who will attend Nebraska’s roundtable. 

Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris—who also is the 2014 chair of The Council of State Governments—has made jobs and economic development a major part of the yearlong CSG leaders’ initiative, “State Pathways to Prosperity.”

“Entrepreneurship is one of the keys to economic development,” Norris said. “It facilitates new business, which, in turn, facilitates jobs. It’s a key component in our workforce development initiative. Entrepreneurship is another pathway to prosperity.”

Yasuyuki Motoyama, a senior scholar for policy and research at the Kauffman Foundation, agrees. He told CSG’s Capitol Ideas magazine that new companies likely will be the ones bringing new jobs to the U.S. economy and most of those will come through entrepreneurs. 

“It has been demonstrated that the companies under five years old basically have created all new jobs in this country in the last 30 years,” Motoyama said.

But bringing a new product or service to market can be a daunting prospect for innovators, from gaining access to capital to navigating the legal and regulatory landscape, he said. State policies can either hinder or help foster that entrepreneurial spirit.

“Policymakers should continue to examine their state’s environment for business creation and identify barriers that may hinder entrepreneurship,” Stangler said.

Speakers for the Nebraska roundtable event include:

  • Dane Stangler, Vice President, Research & Policy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • Yasuyuki Motoyama, Senior Scholar, Research & Policy, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
  • Bob Zahradnik, Director, State Fiscal Health and Economic Growth, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Dan Hoffman, Executive Director, Invest Nebraska

For a full schedule of the days’ events or more information, visit the CSG State Entrepreneurship Days website.

The event is free and open to the public, and lunch is provided. Interested attendees can register online.  


Credits: Image from CSG State Entrepreneurship Days website

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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