Lorel Scott, COO and Co-Founder and Head of Global Partnerships at StartupStarter, is leading a discussion on the future of business education, online learning, and starting a business during and post-pandemic, on Innovate Pasadena’s Friday Morning Coffee Meetup, October 15, 8:30 to 10 a.m.
The online event, Democratizing Entrepreneurship, is part of Connect Week 2021, a festival of independently organized talks, workshops, and social events produced by independent organizers and hosted in venues all across Pasadena.
“We live in a time where entrepreneurship is at everyone’s fingertips, and I mean that literally. People can start businesses on their phone and earn money in ways that we might’ve not imagined 20 years ago,” Scott said as he talks about the upcoming event. “Democratizing entrepreneurship is our way of expanding the accessibility that already exists for startups, but in a way that educates effectively and allows for better opportunities to reach their milestones faster and gain access to more capital.”
StartupStarter helps startups connect with those available resources easier and educates them on how to reach those milestones in their businesses, Scott said.
The company recently hosted the 2021 Equity Crowdfunding Week, a five-day educational event where startups and small businesses were taught how to invest in equity crowdfunding, launch a successful crowdfunding campaign and raise their first million dollars.
“We were intentional about hosting the flagship 2021 Equity Crowdfunding Week conference to bring the entire industry together,” Scott said. “There are many layers to creating awareness around democratizing entrepreneurship, the private markets, inequities in raising capital and also creating ownership around the real estate market. We curated the conference to resonate with people that look like us, have gone through the struggle and see a bigger picture for the future.”
Equity Crowdfunding Week, from October 4 to 8, covered six important themes – individual entrepreneurs investing in equity crowdfunding, launching an equity crowdfunding campaign, institutional investment into equity crowdfunding, how dealer brokers are positively changing the capital landscape, regulations that make equity crowdfunding possible, and the success stories helping drive the equity crowdfunding market.
The event was streamed live through BEAM Conference, an MIT and StartupStarter-backed networking and video communications platform, and covered over 20 workshops, roundtables, keynotes, fireside chats, and founder stories.
Through such efforts as Equity Crowdfunding Week and other upcoming activities, StartupStarter hopes to fill the need for better business education, which gained a larger online presence because of the pandemic but still is insufficient for small businesses to reach the resources market, Scott said.
“It’s the natural effect of evolution,” he continued. “When we break down the barriers of entry and educate the public on the idea that these opportunities are no longer only accessible to the wealthy one percent anymore, we shed light on the ability for everyday individuals to create their own financial prosperity by not only creating ownership but equity that gives them a seat at the table.”
With the discussion this Friday, Scott and his company hopes to be able to help bridge the gap between founders, startups, investors, service providers, advisors, and the world of business altogether.
“For so long, we’ve had the misconception that the most vital business skills had to be taught by the top universities or that we needed to have a higher education degree from a prestigious MBA program for our business or idea to be recognized by the mainstream,” Scott said. “What the pandemic has shown us is that anyone can start a business. StartupStarter is a complete resource that we can bring to dreamers and the everyday individual who wants a better life.”
Participation in the online Friday Morning Coffee Meetup is free.
For more information, call (626) 714-1424 or visit www.connectpasadena.com/event/democratizing-entrepreneurship-with-lorel-scott-startupstarter.
To learn more about StartupStarter, visit www.startupstarter.co.
