UA Giving Day takes place February 14th. This effort to raise funds for important programs, including FORGE,  is very important.  All gifts to FORGE will be matched by up to $10,000 from generous donors.  Gifts made will be used to support important FORGE programs including our support of community partners, Native FORGE for tribal entrepreneurs, biomedical student venture scholarships, and providing free Venturing 101 education for everyone.

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Native FORGE is a new University of Arizona program designed to drive economic development in Arizona’s federally recognized tribes.  Through mentorship, data training, development, and assessment, this program takes aim at the specific needs of Native American entrepreneurs.  Native FORGE is made possible through a matching grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and donor support.  In each year of the program, tribal communities apply, and, if accepted, nominate a cohort of entrepreneurs to work directly with the Native FORGE program.  

In its first year, Native FORGE is working with entrepreneurs from the San Carlos Apache tribe.  These entrepreneurs represent a diverse array of businesses from handmade quilts to land management, restaurants, and community business hubs.  The tribal entrepreneurs utilize the FORGE Venturing 101 Platform, an asynchronous online curriculum on core venture concepts, are paired with mentors for one-on-one guidance in developing and refining their business goals, receive laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, and assistance with accessing and utilizing technologies that can help grow their business and gather annually for a dedicated conference providing access to industry experts, resources and introductions to investors.  Donor support has been vital to the success of the program and helps cover conference travel costs and other necessities not included in the grant.  Under the current scope of the grant, FORGE has the resources to serve five tribal communities.  It is our goal to expand that number to be able to support most of the federally recognized Arizona tribes.

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In 2022, thanks to generous donor support, FORGE launched the first Biomedical Entrepreneur Startup Scholarship and Residency. This new scholarship and residency program was awarded to three undergraduate students with an interest in creating a startup concept that improves health outcomes and applies toward a full year of University of Arizona tuition. Under the program, the three scholarship recipients will take part in a specialized 13-week FORGE summer program and a 15-week paid residency in the Fall semester with opportunities to continue into the Spring.

The 2022 student entrepreneurs have developed concepts for apps to educate people about optimal human health, real-time analysis of diseases and eye deficiencies, and telemedicine counseling to serve underrepresented and rural communities.  The student scholarship recipients will have access to FORGE resources and meet regularly with industry experts, investors, MiRs, and advisors to create custom development plans and develop guided pathways to accelerate scale-up and launch for their biomedical startup. As part of the program, the students gain access to FORGE meeting spaces, board rooms, community resources, and the entire mentor network. With your support, we can expand this program to serve more students in 2023.  

FORGE continues to make strides in Finding Opportunities and Resources to Grow Entrepreneurs.  On Giving Day, this February 14^th, we encourage you to support the next generation of entrepreneurs by donating here.

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