Written by The Cackle Ep68:
James Feagin, Director of Entrepreneurship, Rocket Community Fund, joins The Cackle to discuss growing businesses and entrepreneurship in Detroit.
**Aired Wednesday, September 15th on Facebook Live, Twitter, or LinkedIn at 10:30 am EST**
An urban practitioner with a passion for inclusive economic development, James’s client roster includes New Economy Initiative, Rock Ventures, the Knight Foundation, Wayne State University and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. He has contributed to programs as NEIdeas, Motor City Match, Detroit Demo Day, the Knight Cities Challenge, and Detroit Revitalization Fellows. These efforts have helped redefine Detroit’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, shift the flow of capital, diversify the region’s talent pool, and create a more connected city.
James was a 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar, and also served as the inaugural Entrepreneur-In-Residence for Ford Motor Company Fund’s FREC City, an economic mobility hub stationed in a Detroit Public School on Detroit’s Eastside.
With a proven ability to think “from the boardroom to the barbershop,” James enjoys sharing Detroit’s innovation success, and lessons learned, with other cities. In 2019, he served as a technical expert for the Equitable Economic Development Fellowship, a collaborative effort led by National League of Cities, Policy Link, and Urban Land Institute.
In October 2020, James accepted the role of Director, Entrepreneurship for the Rocket Community Fund where he leads the Entrepreneurship team, whose goal is to elevate Detroit as a destination for small businesses and high-growth startups by deploying capital and supportive resources as well as oversees Detroit Demo Day.
James Feagin, Director of Entrepreneurship, Rocket Community Fund, joins The Cackle to discuss growing businesses and entrepreneurship in Detroit.
About The Cackle
The Cackle is EntryPoint’s popular, weekly interview series available to watch every Wednesday at 10:30 AM EST live on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!
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Each week on The Cackle, we highlight small businesses, startups, and people who have an impact on communities across the Midwest. We explore a wide range of topics relating to the vibrancy of local economies, including: entrepreneurial journeys, economic trends found in our research, the challenges facing small businesses and startups face, and the importance of building a diverse and inclusive community.