Episode Summary
In this episode of the Carolina Codecast, host Barry Jones talks with Eric Weissmann, Executive Director of NextGEN, about his career journey from Cincinnati and the Walt Disney Company to Greenville. Eric discusses his work in entrepreneurial ecosystem building, his role at Cintrifuse, and his current efforts to foster innovation and startup growth in the Greenville area. They delve into the importance of startups for regional economic development, strategies for attracting venture capital, and the comprehensive interconnected support systems needed to nurture entrepreneurial communities. Don’t miss this one!
“ There was an accelerator here, an incubator over there. Those universities were over here. It was like everybody was playing their own notes, but, but it wasn't making a song? You needed a conductor of the orchestra…” - Eric Weissman
Episode Notes
Highlights from this week’s episode include:
02:23 - Understanding Ecosystem Building and Economic Development
07:27 - Cintrifuse in Cincinnati, Union Hall and Startup Cincy
18:54 - South Carolina's Venture Capital Challenge
27:12 - Strategies for Retaining Startups
32:07 - Disney College Program Experience
41:33 - Teaching Entrepreneurship at Miami University
49:49 - NextGen and Startup Greenville Initiatives
Links
Carolina Code Cast is a podcast that covers a wide variety of topics in the coding and data space. Learn more about this year’s Carolina Code Conference at carolina.codes.
Developed with assistance from Heard Media.
EP28 - Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems