DC-metro area resident Howard R. Jean, Founder and CEO of Black Meta Agency, is on a mission to empower 1,000,000 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals and women in the tech industry within the next five years. Through our InnovateDMV initiative, we partnered with Howard to design an AI Small Business Cohort program for DC area entrepreneurs. Doing so helped this active entrepreneurial ecosystem contributor get closer to fulfilling his mission and helped us provide small businesses in DC a unique, high-quality educational experience.
InnovateDMV
We created InnovateDMV to drive inclusive innovation across the Washington, DC metro area. Over the past two years this program has equipped underrepresented entrepreneurs with essential skills through technical training, business development support, and networking opportunities. We generated a new support network for the tech-savvy entrepreneurs in the region by establishing and leveraging partnerships with industry, government, academia, and venture groups.
Since we gained many insights from this initiative, we want to share the five most important lessons we learned that would be most valuable to other communities interested in establishing a startup support program.
- Mind your delivery medium – InnovateDMV balanced virtual and in-person formats. Virtual sessions allowed participants to join from various locations, boosting accessibility for those facing transportation or scheduling challenges. In-person sessions fostered deeper peer connections and facilitated networking, helping founders build trust and alliances within the community.
- Host and co-host events – To expand our reach, we both hosted our own events and leaned on events hosted by partner organizations. Collaborations with community stakeholders ensured programming met local needs and fostered trust within underserved communities while anchoring InnovateDMV in the community. This blend boosted participation and ensured accessibility. It also strengthened local connections within the regional startup ecosystem.
- Expand professional networks and education opportunities – Our programming centered on delivering value to entrepreneurs by expanding their professional networks and providing educational content. We hosted and co-hosted networking events, such as panel discussions, connected founders with new ideas, potential investors, and mentors, all critical for underserved founders. We also offered educational workshops that provided guidance on essentials like capital access, marketing, technology integration, and building a foundation for commercialization.
- Clearly define internal and external roles: As we identified impactful areas for founders, we learned that creating clearly defined roles for all involved – from partner organization contacts to US Ignite team members – was critical to improving efficiency and reducing confusion. Defining roles and streamlined channels of communication increased clarity and collaboration, amplifying the program’s relevance and community impact.
- Be intentional with internal communications: Our internal program team intentionally set up communication channels to enhance information flow and team alignment. Our core team met weekly and we hosted semi-annual steering committee sessions with our partners to ensure cohesive planning. We set up project and data management tools to track activities and deliverables and to keep the team focused on short- and long-term objectives.
Learn from InnovateDMV
The lessons above provide a glimpse into how we successfully built an adaptable model to equip local entrepreneurs with skills, connections, and confidence to bring ideas to market. This balanced approach — combining accessibility, relevance, and flexibility — can be replicated to drive economic growth and resilience in underserved communities across the United States. We invite you to stay connected with US Ignite to learn about upcoming initiatives and events supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs.