1. ICIC: ADVANCING
URBAN OPPORTUNITY
We drive economic prosperity in America’s inner cities through private sector
investment to create jobs, income and wealth for local residents.
Since our founding in 1994 by Harvard Business
School Professor Michael Porter, ICIC has helped shape
economic development plans in more than two dozen
cities. Our participatory research and advisory model
combines leading-edge analytics with stakeholder
input to generate new insights into urban markets.
A Bridge Between Public Initiative and
Private Enterprise
As the leading authority on inner city economies and
the companies that thrive there, ICIC plays a unique
role in urban investment and public policy decisions.
In mayors’ offices, we speak the language of business
advantage and shared value. ICIC’s convenings bring
together corporate leaders, public officials, civic
groups and foundations, to identify strategies that
successfully link regional and inner city growth and
better align capital, workforce and land-use policies
to growth sectors.
Through our What Works for Cities campaign, ICIC is
expanding the tool kit for city officials and community
leaders by providing the best practices and know-how
that lead to inner city investment, jobs and growth.
Inner City Opportunities Drive Our Research Agenda
Our research is grounded in economic theory and
informed by our real-world advisory and programmatic
experience. ICIC has a proven track record of working
with city leaders to help them develop custom, data-
driven inner city economic growth plans.
ICIC helps cities identify their competitive advantages
and build out strategies to create jobs and revitalize
distressed areas. ICIC’s research team represents a
unique combination of quantitative and qualitative exper-
tise supported by a nuanced understanding of economic
development issues.
Our State of the Inner City Economies (SICE) proprietary
database maps the economic performance, business
vitality and resident prosperity of all American cities with
a population greater than 75,000, which includes 328
inner cities. SICE is an indispensable resource to assess
local competitive advantages and set strategies for
inclusive economic growth and urban resiliency.
INNER CITIES ARE RICH WITH OPPORTUNITY. WE HELP BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND PHILANTHROPY
LEVERAGE LOCAL ASSETS TO TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES. CONNECT WITH US. WWW.ICIC.ORG
We must stop trying to cure the inner city’s
problems by perpetually increasing social
investment and hoping for economic activity to
follow. Instead, we need to identify and exploit
the competitive advantages of inner cities.
DR. MICHAEL E. PORTER, ICIC FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN
At the foothills of my career, ICIC armed me
with a plan that resonated with the core vision of
Newarkers who never gave up on their city.
CORY BOOKER, FORMER MAYOR, CITY OF NEWARK
OUR URBAN REVITALIZATION ACTION PLAN
j Improve the local business environment
j Implement a cluster-based growth strategy
j Support the growth of inner city businesses

2. Our Small Business Research Powers
Innovative Programs
Through its Inner City Capital Connections program,
ICIC has helped lenders like Bank of America and its
private equity partners find investment-ready companies
in 134 different inner cities. Seventy-four percent of these
businesses have been minority-owned and 32% women-
owned. These companies have gone on to raise more
than $1.22 billion in capital and create nearly 11,000 jobs,
of which 54% are held by inner city residents.
Every year, with the support of partners Staples, Inc.
and Chevron, ICIC identifies and supports the 100 fastest-
growing inner city companies. These firms represent
the kind of innovative and diverse organizations that
create significant economic growth in inner cities.
Between 1999 and 2014, 800 Inner City 100 companies
have created more than 123,000 new jobs – of which
95% provide meaningful employee benefits. More than
31% of these winning companies have been minority-
owned and 20% have been women-owned.
ICIC partners with Goldman Sachs to identify and select
business owners, who have limited resources but also
have a business poised for growth, for participation in
the 10,000 Small Businesses program. The program,
now available to entrepreneurs across the country,
helps participants overcome major barriers to growth
by offering access to a powerful combination of education,
capital and advisory services.
ICIC: ADVANCING URBAN OPPORTUNITY
INNER CITIES ARE RICH WITH OPPORTUNITY. WE HELP BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND PHILANTHROPY
LEVERAGE LOCAL ASSETS TO TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES. CONNECT WITH US. WWW.ICIC.ORG
INITIATIVE FOR A COMPETITIVE INNER CITY
184 DUDLEY STREET j ROXBURY, MA 02119 j WWW.ICIC.ORG j TWITTER:@ICIC.ORG
ICIC’s unique approach, backed by
passionate and experienced professionals,
makes us an invaluable partner for organiza-
tions striving to create economic opportunities
for all urban residents.
MATT CAMP, PRESIDENT, ICIC
OUR RESEARCH PRIORITIES
CLUSTERS: We conduct comprehensive industry
assessments to identify clusters with the highest
potential to promote business growth and entrepre-
neurship. We partner with the U.S. Cluster Mapping
Project to support our cluster analysis.
ANCHORS: ICIC is recognized as an authority on
anchor organizations and created the strategic anchor
framework that has been utilized by numerous
anchors to guide their community engagement.
SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH: ICIC leverages proprietary
small business data to identify critical drivers of small
business growth and the unique attributes that make
inner cities great places to do business.
FOOD: Our research has been used to inform economic
development policies and projects that support the
growth of food clusters.
EB-5: ICIC is defining the discussion around how
to more effectively use the EB-5 program to expand
private sector investment in inner cities.
ICIC’S PARTNERS FOR URBAN
OPPORTUNITY INCLUDE
Goldman Sachs
Surdna Foundation
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Garfield Foundation
Bank of America
The Boston Foundation
Chevron Corporation
The Saint Paul Foundation
Staples Inc.
UBS
Santander
Prudential Foundation
The Boston Consulting
Group