Dr. Dell Gines is a national thought leader in local economic growth, a Certified Economic Developer, and a Lead Community Development Advisor at the Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where he focuses on communities of color and economically distressed communities. Show host, David Ponraj, recently sat down with Dr. Gines as part of a virtual discussion series centered on the practice of equitable economic development through entrepreneurship. A live audience joins in as the conversation digs deep into what makes a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. Dr. Gines stresses that it’s more than tracking hard data to campaign for funding. The magic is in the soft data; in knowing the stories and having a deep understanding of the lived experiences of the entrepreneur that the hard data doesn’t show. When it comes to funding, he says: “Data sells it, but relationships get you in the door. You’ve got to have both.”

Learn more about Dell's work at: www.iamdellgines.com

Learn more about Startup Space: www.startupspace.us

Join the Entpreneurship Development Discussion Series: www.startupspace.us/speakerseries