Ep. 16 Empowering Georgia’s Entrepreneurs: Insights from Ecosystem Builder Recha Reid

July 30, 2024

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Welcome to the DO GOOD X podcast with your hosts, Kimberly R. Daniel and Stephen Lewis. Today’s guest is Recha Reid, Associate Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at Georgia State University. In this episode, we delve into the transformative work of the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund (MSESF), a vital resource for aspiring entrepreneurs who lack access to traditional support systems. Recha emphasizes that this inclusive program is designed to foster serious business ventures, not hobbies. Through her coaching, she highlights the importance of identifying and solving real problems and encourages listeners to leverage resources like Startup Atlanta and Innov8GA. Tune in to discover how this program empowers budding entrepreneurs across Georgia to realize and attain their dreams.

In This Episode

[3:54] Recha shares what created her interest in working in innovation and entrepreneurship
[6:20] Recha shares what she sees as the future for cultivating more inclusive and equitable entrepreneurship opportunities, and she discusses the Main Street Accelerator at Georgia State
[14:46] Discussion of innovation versus invention and the importance of making your space unique and impactful
[20:21] Recha discusses the success of the programs, the coaching involved and details of how one works through the program
[26:09] Recha shares information and resources entrepreneurs should know about in Atlanta, including Startup Atlanta
[33:16] Recha shares the resources that have been helpful to her
[37:19] Kimberly and Stephen ask Recha “Off-the-Cuff” questions
[41:10] Recha advises aspiring entrepreneurs and discusses if she attributes her success to faith or hustle and how she feels communities will benefit from her endeavors

Key Takeaways

Many entrepreneurs are looking to start businesses in the tech space. The demand is there
The Accelerator program stresses innovation over invention. Recha believes in looking at the environment that you're in, looking at the world around you and asking yourself, how can I improve, what can I contribute to meet the needs of my future customers? What can be changed to make this more accessible and easier to navigate?
To be a successful entrepreneur, you must find a need that people want met and that they are prepared to pay for.

Resources

Guests

Recha R. Reid

is the Associate Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at Georgia State University. Recha is responsible for designing, overseeing, and marketing university-wide entrepreneurship events and activities while developing high-level strategic partnership engagements and strengthening key relationships with the local, national, and global entrepreneurship community, industry partners, alumni, and potential donors.

Before joining Georgia State, Recha was the Assistant Director of Student Innovation and Undergraduate Research at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She planned, managed, and coordinated new and existing research and innovation programs and competitions there, creating high-impact experiences for undergraduate students. She established partnerships, constructed synergies, and created opportunities for greater student innovation, discovery, research opportunities, and entrepreneurship while bridging existing knowledge gaps. She also managed the Emmy Award-winning InVenture Prize and the university’s research symposium.

Recognized for her dedication to promoting inclusivity and diversity in entrepreneurship, Recha was named the Equity Champion for the 2023 Atlanta Startup Awards. In 2020, she received an Emmy Award for her work on the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize in the Special Event Categories Coverage Live category.