This document introduces Kevin Grace, the CEO and President of AME who has extensive experience founding and selling technology businesses. It then discusses the need to enhance collaboration between organizations in the Fort Worth entrepreneurship ecosystem, which currently operates in silos trapping value. The document proposes an outcome-oriented framework to create shared value through jobs, funding, talent retention and new businesses by building bridges between groups like universities, entrepreneurs, industries and the government. It argues this can be achieved through collaborative events and sustainable, repeatable activities to strengthen the local innovation and technology community.

1. 1

2. 2
Thank you for being here.

3. 3
Kevin Grace
• Personally founded, built and sold 3 technology
and telecommunications businesses
• Previously responsible for integrating over 100
acquisitions nationwide (one every 3 weeks)
• Currently leading a team that is consolidating
telecommunications companies and investing in
start-ups
CEO, President - AME
MEET THE TEAM

4. 4
Mike Field
Chief Strategy Officer
James Fair
Chief Operating Officer
Dustin Dvorak
Chief Information Officer
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
4
Community Involvement
Board Participation
• Samaritan House
• Cowtown Warriors
• Semper Fi Networking
• NextPhase Foundation
• TCU Executive Alumni
Membership
• Leadership Fort Worth
- Entrepreneur
- Software
- IOT
- P&L Management
- Lean Implementation
- Operational Efficiencies
- Cyber Security
- Telecommunications
- Software

5. 5
Mike Field
Chief Strategy Officer
James Fair
Chief Operating Officer
Dustin Dvorak
Chief Information Officer
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
5
Community Involvement
Board Participation
• Samaritan House
• Cowtown Warriors
• Semper Fi Networking
• NextPhase Foundation
• TCU Executive Alumni
Membership
• Leadership Fort Worth
- Entrepreneur
- Software
- IOT
- P&L Management
- Lean Implementation
- Operational Efficiencies
- Cyber Security
- Telecommunications
- Software

6. 6
Mission
Enhance the Fort Worth and Tarrant County
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology community
through the introduction of a vibrant, collaborative
technology ecosystem.

7. 7
Current PROBLEM
ECOSYSTEM SILOS TRAP VALUE.

8. 8
The Dallas / Fort Worth region is a major center of
US Fortune 500 companies. The region has
enormous potential, numerous assets and deep
industrial clusters. So far, however, ecosystem
development has been fragmented, and consistently
lags Austin in entrepreneurial startups and funding
outcomes.
Testimony for the Texas House Economic Development Committee Apr. 6 by Larry Peterson

9. 9
Fragmented Ecosystems Don’t Attract New
Investment
Missed funding opportunities for local universities
Texas venture capital investment has decreased 19% over
the past 10 years
New companies are smothered thus limiting job creation
and new business activity

10. 10

11. 11
FRAMEWORK of the solution
Jobs, funding, talent retention
Deep industrial clusters
New businesses
Shared Value was created by Harvard’s Michael Porter widely renowned as the father of modern business strategy.

12. 12
Expansion of VALUE
The basic premise of Shared Value is that the success of all companies is
influenced by support services and the infrastructure surrounding them.
The company cannot disregard a healthy social and local context, and
collaborating to achieve this therefore falls within its objectives.

13. 13
Recent Examples
Commercializing Patents
Biomedical
UTARI Patent & NASA Patent
Big Data
Luminant & UTARI Partnership
Equipping Entrepreneurs to Succeed
2016 Fort Worth Start-Up Weekend
Outcome Oriented at IdeaWorks
Results are being produced now.

14. 14
Shared Value creates tangible social and business results.

15. 15
Effective cross-organization
collaboration plays a central role in
delivering the desired results.

16. 16
Mission
Enhance the Fort Worth and Tarrant County Entrepreneurship,
Innovation and Technology community through the introduction of a
vibrant, collaborative technology ecosystem.
What does this mission mean to me?
• Talent Retention
• New Jobs
• New Companies
• Additive to Current Vision
• Investment Opportunities

17. 17
This problem can be solved…
one step at a time.

18. 18

19. 19
• Government
• Libraries
• Entrepreneurs
• Chambers
• Industry Leaders
• Trade Associations
• Research Institutions
• Funding
• Universities
• Business Plan Competitions
• Reverse Pitches
• Incubators
• Accelerators
• Coworking
Build outcome-oriented
bridges of collaboration
between

20. 20
Forming Phase 1 with you
• Magnetic Keynote Driven Large Collaborative Event
Outcome Driven
• Radically increased awareness
• Structured collaboration of ecosystem
• Increased ability to collaborate between organizations
• Modeled to be Sustainable, and Repeatable Activities

21. Organically Grown in Fort Worth.
Swell of support for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship initiative.

22. 22
Let’s talk about creating something impactful for Phase 1.
Enhance the Fort Worth and Tarrant County
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology community
through the introduction of a vibrant, collaborative
technology ecosystem.

23. 23
Next Steps
Expanded Follow-Up Meeting in December
Formalize Phase 1 Roadmap