ST. LOUIS – The energy was palpable Thursday as Harris-Stowe State University officially opened its Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a space designed to support the next generation of Black and Brown entrepreneurs in the region.
“Come get resources to plug into the programming that we offer here, Capitol Access. It’s just a positive community for entrepreneurs can come to thrive, collaborate, and grow,” the center’s Executive Director Kristy Jackson said.
The CIE has already assisted over 200 entrepreneurs and their businesses to date. Entrepreneurs shared their excitement about how the program has boosted their businesses by providing resources and mentorship they could not find anywhere else.
“Helping me get different grants this summer. I participated in a Black commerce conference in D.C. I won my first $10,000 scholarship for my business,” Deirra Williams, CIE student entrepreneur, said.
J’Montez Cameron, another student entrepreneur, added, “It has already benefitted me personally and my business just being an opportunity to do things like today. Network (and) meet with like-minded people who can help me reach my goals.”
As the celebration continued into the evening with networking, speeches, and awards for the leaders of the CIE, the excitement was clear. The CIE all started with a vision from Dean of the Anheuser-Busch School of Business, Dr. Hollins.
“So, I had a wonderful vision that we had a community center that anybody can feel comfortable coming to learn how to do all the business skills that they needed in order to scale their businesses,” she said.
For Harris Stowe, this is more than a new building—it’s the start of a movement to a pathway of success for entrepreneurs.
