President Barack Obama and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed have both spoken of their support for entrepreneurs, citing their importance in efforts to revive the economy and create jobs.
Friday, the White House and city are teaming up to host the Atlanta Urban Entrepreneurship Forum, an all-day program that Reed called "a joint effort ... to support urban, small, minority, women and socio-economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs and get more people back to work."
The event at the Woodruff Arts Center will feature informational sessions on key entrepreneurial issues including access to capital and public/private partnerships. Also scheduled are panel discussions targeted to women and young entrepreneurs, as well as one focused on the entertainment industry.
Tyler Perry, founder of Tyler Perry Studios, will be a keynote speaker. General registration for the event is closed because of space limitations. More than 450 people are expected.
In addition to discussion roundtables featuring local business executives, 10 Atlanta-based entrepreneurs will compete for $10,000 in startup financing and eight weeks of business mentoring in a 60-second business pitch. The pitch event will be hosted by 100 Urban Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit that provides assistance to entrepreneurs from economically distressed and/or disadvantaged groups.
The Atlanta program is the third urban entrepreneurship forum to be held. Previous forums were conducted in Newark, N.J., and New Orleans. Forums are scheduled for New York, Oakland, Calif., Orlando and Philadelphia.
