ESHIP Champions

Anika Horn

Anika Horn is a consultant, storyteller, and community builder driven by social impact. Through Social Venturers, she is building a network of ecosystem builders for social change to equip them with the insights, resources, and peer community to lead fulfilling lives and purpose-driven careers. She is an avid writer, dedicated ecosystem builder, and advisor to social entrepreneurs.
Goals: Storytelling | 1 - Inclusive Field | 4 - Connected Networks

Beth Zimmer*

Beth Zimmer is a founder of the Innovation Collaborative in Erie, Pennsylvania. This organization has served northwest Pennsylvania as an influential advocate and catalyst for changing the region’s culture to encourage and support entrepreneurial thinking and acting, as well as the essential development of more startups. Beth’s involvement has led to local K-12 schools and other public organizations adopting entrepreneurial education programs and services to support aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.
Goals: 6 - Universal Support | 7 - Sustainable Work | 5 - Practical Metrics and Methods | Storytelling

Chad Renando

Chad Renando has a focus on data, mapping, measurements, and establishing collaborative bodies as a means to support regional ecosystems. He does this as the director of the nonprofit Startup Status, as the managing director of Australia’s Global Entrepreneurship Network, and exploring the connection between entrepreneurship ecosystems and community resilience. Check out the current map of Australia's ecosystem, created by Startup Status.
Goals: 5 - Practical Metrics and Methods | 4 - Connected Networks | 6 - Universal Support | 7 - Sustainable Work

Eric Renz-Whitmore*

Eric Renz-Whitmore is a community organizer and ecosystem builder working in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His experience includes building statewide community efforts to support the state’s film industry, lead the New Mexico Technology Council (a trade association for New Mexico's IT and tech businesses), and a variety of ecosystem development projects for Albuquerque’s Economic Development Department. He's a founder and organizer for several local events for entrepreneurs and innovators, including the city's 1 Million Cups chapter and the Code for Albuquerque. He also currently serves as Director of Entrepreneurship Communities for Forward Cities, assisting in the development of more inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems in several regions around the United States.
Goals: 5 - Practical Metrics and Methods | 1 - Inclusive Field | 2 - Collaborative Culture

Hassan Bazzi*

Hassan Bazzi is an entrepreneur and ecosystem builder based in Detroit, Michigan. Hassan serves as Director of Community Innovation at Forward Cities, a national nonprofit that equips communities and cities with the tools and resources to grow and sustain more equitable ecosystems.
Goals: 1 - Inclusive Field | 2 - Collaborative Culture | 6 - Universal Support

Jeff Bennett*

Jeff Bennett grew up in Reno, Nevada, and is currently an ecosystem builder at StartupSac in Sacramento, California. He is also a co-founder and editorial director of EcosystemBuilderHub.com as well as a freelance writer and content creator. He finds that one essential piece to growing communities is to create and share meaningful stories.
Goals: Storytelling | 4 - Connected Networks | 6 - Universal Support

Katie Gailes

Katie Gailes is the Director of Entrepreneurship at Wake Technical Community College. In this current position, and as a small business consultant and coach, she has counseled and supported more than 1,000 entrepreneurs. Katie came to entrepreneurship after a 27-year career with an international IT company. The executive communication skills and experience developing systems and processes from her corporate career are powerful tools in the world of entrepreneurship and ecosystem building. But creative problem solving is her super power.
Goals: 2 - Collaborative Culture | 3 - Shared Vision | 1 - Inclusive Field | 4 - Connected Networks

Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence is based out of Bowie, Maryland, and is the founder and managing partner at Inncuvate, which is a professional services firm that takes a systematic view of innovation and entrepreneur-led economic development to create solutions for economic equity. Mark is passionate about enabling the power of entrepreneurship to create new industries and new opportunities that directly impacts lives.
Goals: 7 - Sustainable Work | 1 - Inclusive Field

Norris Krueger*

Norris Krueger likes to engage with ecosystems from multiple angles. His roles inside ecosystem building include scholar, educator, entrepreneur, mentor, and the community Energizer Bunny. When it comes to titles, he prefers “action leader,” as opposed to “thought leader.”
Goals: 5 - Practical Metrics and Methods | 7 - Sustainable Work | 6 - Universal Support

Srijita Dia Ghosh

Srijita Dia Ghosh is an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder in Oklahoma working in economic development. She enjoys cultivating startup communities, planning people-gatherings, and connecting resources to those who need them. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, diversity, and inclusion, as well as education through exploration — otherwise known as traveling.
Goals: 1 - Inclusive Field | 2 - Collaborative Culture | 6 - Universal Support

Tiffany Henry*

Tiffany Henry supports rural entrepreneurs by connecting them with resources, trainings, and tools that specifically address the challenges and opportunities that are found in small and remote communities. She works for Conductor, a public-private partnership in Central Arkansas where she facilitates ecosystem building across an 11-county region.
Goals: 1 - Inclusive Field | 3 - Shared Vision

Valto Loikkanen

Valto Loikkanen is an internationally-awarded serial entrepreneur who started his first company at 24 years old, and grew it to be an international business.Valto is a visionary strategist and advises public policymakers in various countries. He is also a public speaker and plays an active role in strategizing private ventures as the co-founder and senior advisor in Startup Commons Global, co-founder and CXO in Prifina, and founding partner in Grow VC Group.
Goals: 3 - Shared Vision | 4 - Connected Networks | 5 - Practical Metrics and Methods | 7 - Sustainable Work

* 2019 and 2020 ESHIP Champions cohort members

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