2016 was a year for us to remember, and we haven’t come this far to simply come this far. We are in this for the long haul.

This work of changing systems and the ways they support people is a long-term challenge, but it is well worth every ounce of effort. We are already seeing changes take place in our systems; from City government, to our educational institutions, to our business chambers in Albuquerque, resources are allocated differently, institutions and organizations are aligning around support for entrepreneurs and homegrown job creation and our city is, bit by bit, becoming stronger, smarter and more interconnected.

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2016

A non-exhaustive list of the things that are changing and being enhanced around innovation and entrepreneurship in Albuquerque.

1) First: We are extremely fortunate to have a dedicated leadership team invested in reshaping programs, policies and resource allocation to achieve our shared vision. Thank you to all the volunteers who’ve contributed to this vision for a more prosperous community for all of Albuquerque’s residents.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT and CAPITAL INNOVATION

Partners and stakeholders across Albuquerque are working together to increase access for entrepreneurs to high quality business development opportunities, to increase the availability of capital and to ensure talent and skill development is widely available both in traditional and nontraditional systems.

2) TAZA, the nation’s only Spanish-language 1 million cups-style event, celebrated 2 years of supporting immigrant entrepreneurship

3) The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce continued to work to change how our government supports small business—and for the better

4) Co-op Capital has now been deployed by numerous partner organizations totaling over $438,000 of investment in New Mexico.

5) TREP Connect launched, offering entrepreneurs and navigators access to a mobile platform to access and learn about service providers, offerings and resources for entrepreneurs in Albuquerque

6) We researched immigrant entrepreneurship and released this report.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Albuquerque Living Cities Integration Initiative is working to advance our city’s infrastructure to connect people and places in new innovative ways.

7) Innovate ABQ broke ground. (Directly linked to the start of Albuquerque’s Integration Initiative)

8) Bus Rapid Transit is in motion to better connect people and places

TALENT AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

9) UNM and CNM launched their 2+1+2 program to build a path to a graduate degree that might otherwise be unattainable.

10) CNM built out their Entrepreneurial Mindset Program in partnership with APS and the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce to serve high school students, immigrant entrepreneurs, and low-income populations.

GENERALLY AWESOME STUFF

11) A 2016 MRCOG study showed that Sandia Science and Technology Park has generated over $2.6 billion in economic activity in Albuquerque since it started

12) Albuquerque hosted the world’s first Indigenous Comic Con

13) SxSW brought Albuquerque’s entrepreneurial scene to the attention of thousands.

14) The Mayor’s Prize for Entrepreneurship granted its second round of prizes, totaling $400 K over two years in support of nonprofits who contribute to Albuquerque’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

These successes from a systems level and a programmatic and commitment level would never be possible without the help of volunteers and partners. We thank you all for your work to increase economic mobility and job creation through innovation and entrepreneurship.  We look forward to the year ahead. There is even more progress in store.