The Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative provides first generation entrepreneurs with intensive training, individual business and financial counseling, peer mentor ship, networking opportunities, and mentoring over a nine month period to help them have a profitable and sustainable business

1. Finalist, 2018 UEDA Awards of Excellence
Innovation & Talent
Jasmine Cordero-West, M.H.R.M.
Marcela (Marce) A. Zuchovicki, ACT
The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED)
Helping Urban
Communities Thrive

2. Helping Communities To Thrive And Flourish

3. *First Generation Entrepreneurs Less
Successful Than Those From A Family Of
Entrepreneurs
*10-12% of Small Businesses Close Each
Year

4. Collaborative Solution
• Partnership Rutgers Business School Center for Urban
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED),
community organizations and for profit companies
• Help entrepreneurs to grow and have sustainable and
profitable businesses

5. Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative (EPI)

6. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Innovative Techniques
• EPI Business Diagnostic Tool and Growth Plan Template

7. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Innovative Techniques
• Training courses focused on business growth

8. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Innovative Techniques
• Individual business and financial counseling
• Peer Empowerment Group

9. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Innovative Techniques
• Creation of a growth plan
• Additional networking
• Opportunities to have Rutgers Business School students
work on a project for their business
• EPI Alumni Association

10. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Impact
• Strategic plan to grow their business
• Wealth creation
• Create jobs in the economy
• Sustainability
• Increase revenue/profits
• Thriving small business communities
Move from working in the business to on the business

11. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Success
• 87% Survival rate for all businesses
• 74% Reported an increase in gross income
• 66% Reported an increase in profit
• 50% Reported an increase in the number of employees
• 16% Business partnerships formed between EPI alumni

12. Impact: EPI2 Instructor Business
Coach Bookkeeping CFO CEO Board
Advisor/Treasurer EPI10 USA Economy

13. Scalable and Replicable
• Created niche programs modeled after EPI
– Retail and restaurants (URAP)
– Arts, entertainment and media (Newark Business Hub)
• License the program to other communities
– Memphis Business Hub
• Award winning
– USASBE Special Recognition in Entrepreneurship Education
Innovation Award
– International Economic Development Council (IEDC)
Excellence in Economic Development Gold Award

14. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
EPI Program Sustainability
• 10th Year of the program
– Over 220 graduates
• Continued sponsorship
• Licensing program

16. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship
& Economic Development
Thank you