Find us in Yuma, meet the CEO of Village Capital and join 200 countries to celebrate #GEW2022
Find Your FORGE in Yuma
FORGE provides venture resources throughout Arizona with three locations on the main University of Arizona campus in Tucson and locations in downtown Tucson, Phoenix and Yuma. Each week we will be profiling a different FORGE location to share the resources available.
This week, get to know our Yuma location - FORGE at Yuma Academic Center (YAC)!
The University of Arizona Yuma is a regional location that partners with Arizona Western College, Imperial Valley College in California and other Arizona community colleges. FORGE offers entrepreneur mentorship and support at the Yuma Academic Center at 7875 E 24th St #7, Yuma, AZ.
Our dedicated Mentor in Residence in Yuma, is Randy Nelson. Randy worked as the Director of a Small Business Development Center covering Yuma and LaPaz Counties assisting the startup business community, growing existing businesses, and selling or closing businesses. Randy has been working directly with entrepreneurs for over 20 years in Yuma and LaPaz Counties and has helped launch hundreds of new businesses in the area. Randy’s background includes an MBA along with 20 years of professional development opportunities including certifications in NxLevel, Profit Mastery, and Growth Wheel.
Randy notes that the Yuma Academic Center is a great resource for assisting entrepreneurs in the area. “The Yuma Center is very flexible and allows for mentoring in individual (and confidential) settings or in a group. The facility is very convenient to the Yuma community and is located across from the entrance to AWC.”
FORGE mentoring hours in Yuma Center are Thursday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Additional times are available via zoom or in person by appointment only and can be scheduled by emailing randallnelson@arizona.edu.
FORGE Fireside with Village Capital CEO Allie Burns
On Thursday, November 17th, join FORGE founding director Brian Ellerman and his guest, Allie Burns, CEO of Village Capital for a lively conversation about programs and ideas that are growing entrepreneurship in our community. Village Capital supports early-stage startups across thematic areas in emergent sectors including: Climate Innovation & Adaptation, Economic Mobility, and Equitable Access to Essential Services.
Allie joined Village Capital in 2016, and was named CEO in January of 2019. In this role, she’s responsible for overseeing a team dedicated to unlocking capital for entrepreneurs who have been traditionally overlooked by early-stage investors.
Prior to joining Village Capital, Allie worked with technology pioneers Steve and Jean Case, supporting their work in venture capital, philanthropy, and impact investing. As a senior executive at the Case Foundation, Allie was responsible for oversight of the organization’s communications, marketing, and partnerships functions. She was also part of the team that co-created the Startup America Partnership, a private sector initiative of the Case and Kauffman Foundations created in response to President Barack Obama’s cross-agency effort to promote entrepreneurship around the country. Allie’s work on helping to build entrepreneurial ecosystems outside of major venture capital hubs extended to her role as SVP of Communications at Revolution, the venture capital firm created by Steve Case, where she served as part of the core team who created and launched the Rise of the Rest initiative.
Allie also works with The National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NACIE), a federal advisory committee managed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. NACIE is charged with developing a National Entrepreneurship Strategy that strengthens America’s ability to compete and win as the world’s leading startup nation and as the world’s leading innovator in critical emerging technologies.
This is a hybrid event. Join us live at FORGE at Roy Place or online via Zoom
Global Entrepreneurship Week
GEW is an international movement, organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and powered by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation with support from strategic partners, dedicated to making it possible for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a company. Each November, GEW celebrates and empowers millions of entrepreneurs in every country and community around the world. 2022 marks 15 years of GEW celebrations and activities. The campaign launched in 2008 with 77 countries participating. This year, activities will take place in 200 countries. FORGE is hosting several #GEW2022 events this week. Be sure to check out all the resources FORGE offers for entrepreneurs. To view a complete list of events, national campaigns and participating organizations, or to learn more about Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit www.gew.co.
Now Hiring!
Interested in joining the FORGE team? We are currently looking for multiple new Student Venture Pathways Assistants!
Upcoming Events
November 14-20th - Global Entrepreneurship Week
November 16th - STEAM FORGE Grand Opening Celebration
November 17th - FORGE Fireside with Allie Burns, CEO, Village Capital
November 18th - Information Session for IDEA Weekend
November 30th - L(a)unch at PBC
December 8th - December Campus Spotlight