2017 State of Entrepreneurship Address

The 8th Annual State of Entrepreneurship Address

“Zero Barriers: Three Mega Trends Shaping the Future of Entrepreneurship”

During the event, Kauffman President and CEO Wendy Guillies outlined how entrepreneurs are driving a resurgence of business activity in America but that a long-term decline in entrepreneurship has prevented millions of Americans from achieving economic success.

The Kauffman Foundation also released a new report that reveals three megatrends that are fundamentally reshaping entrepreneurship in America:

New demographics of entrepreneurship: The U.S. is becoming more racially diverse, but entrepreneurs – 80.2 percent white and 64.5 percent male – do not reflect the changing population. 
New map of entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship is an increasingly urban phenomenon, and it is taking place in mid-sized metros and outside traditional hubs like Boston and Silicon Valley. 
New nature of entrepreneurship: In the past, as companies grew their revenue, jobs would scale at almost the same pace. That’s no longer true. Technology has made it possible for startups to grow revenue without as much hiring, and high-growth companies by revenue are not creating as many jobs as they did in the past. 

To respond to these trends shaping entrepreneurship, the Kauffman Foundation is launching a new “Zero Barriers to Startup” initiative. The collaborative, nationwide effort will identify large and small barriers to new business creation to reverse the long-term decline in entrepreneurship. Along with entrepreneurs and policymakers, Kauffman will work to develop solutions and empower more entrepreneurs to pursue their ambitions.