Kauffman Foundation: The Start Uprising
Read about lessons learned from the first eighteen months of Startup America Partnership.
Read More
At the Case Foundation, we know that the creating of strong startup ecosystems that nurture high-growth potential entrepreneurs is critical to solving complex social challenges.
We are strong believers in the power of partnerships and vibrant networks, which can produce the greatest social return on investments of financial and human capital. We encourage and celebrate entrepreneurship as a powerful tool to empower and energize communities, and support the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems in the United States and abroad. Through our work over the years, which includes co-creating the Startup America Partnership and supporting UP Global, we aim to connect entrepreneurs, leaders in business and politics, social entrepreneurs and nonprofits in an effort to create new meaningful relationships that foster leadership, collaboration and economic growth for the social good.
UP Forums
In 2014, we partnered with UP Global to bring the best practices of Startup America Partnership and Startup Weekend to communities around the world. Through this innovative collaboration we seek to unite experienced, sought-after entrepreneurs – the UP Global Ambassadors – with world-class companies to build strong local communities and a global economy through entrepreneurship.
A special initiative developed as a result of this partnership is the UP Forum, a program that brings together leading entrepreneurs from around the world to an emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Forum events facilitate collaboration among local governments, universities and corporations to set a vision for improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem, provide mentorship to budding entrepreneurs and enable visiting entrepreneurs to bring learnings and expertise back to their home regions.
UP Forum events are slated to take place in Barcelona, Nairobi and other cities around the world in 2015. By learning with our partners around the world, we can continue to use entrepreneurial best practices to strengthen communities, grow economies and spark innovation.
Startup America Partnership
Launched at the White House on January 31, 2011 the Startup America Partnership was a key coalition of major corporations, advisors, funders, service providers and mentors working to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of American entrepreneurs. The Partnership’s work aimed to help entrepreneurs create and scale companies as a critical component of the nation’s job growth and global competitiveness strategy, while celebrating entrepreneurship as a core American value. Steve Case chaired the partnership, while the Ewing Marion Kauffman and the Case Foundation served as founding partners, providing initial funding and strategic guidance.
On May 23, 2013, Startup America Partnership joined forces with Startup Weekend to create UP Global, a combined organization dedicated to empowering the entrepreneurial community and building networks that drive collaboration and strengthen entrepreneurship worldwide. Together they offer startups at every stage (from idea to IPO) programs and expertise to continue to advance ecosystems and build a truly global startup network with deep roots in local communities. We are proud to continue collaborating with UP Global through the UP Forums program.
