Top 7 Reasons New Mexico is Perfect for the Space IndustryBy Casey DeRaad | Founder and Director, New Space New MexicoApril 2, 2019We are on the cusp of a new Space Age. The space industry anticipates more advances in the next decades than we have seen since the launch of Sputnik in 1957.The space industry is becoming less sci-fi and …
New Mexico’s Rise to Renewable Power Starts Now New Mexico has all the ingredients—geographically, meteorologically and politically—to be a national leader in renewable energy. With more than 300 days of sun a year and a new governor who is especially pro green industry, it’s predicted that New Mexico could reach 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045, if not before.Frederick Esters …
First, Fix the Roof:How community stabilization loans increase entrepreneurship in communities of color.For many entrepreneurs of color, the first step to owning a business begins long before applying for a business loan. It begins with a roof repair. It begins with a new timing belt. It begins with finding reliable, affordable childcare. The barriers to business ownership for entrepreneurs of …
Why Big Organizations Support Small Square, CNM, Nusenda are part of a new wave of entrepreneurial supportTo be successful, a startup needs to be profitable, marketable and scalable. It also needs to be attractive to qualified employees, pay competitively, have solid financial backing and access to liquid capital. Easy, right? The high cost and high risk of startup entrepreneurship is …
“Nontraditional” Is the New Unstoppable: Mercedes Ortega-Kennedy is ABQ’s Next Big Thing Mercedes Ortega-Kennedy is a model graduate. A model for any person who battles daily microaggressions and sexism, supports a family, is older than the traditional student—but doesn’t take no for an answer. During her time at UNM, Ortega-Kennedy won two pitch competitions, scaled her family business and took …
What does it mean to be an ‘ecosystem’ anyway? The internet is a web. The interstate is an artery. The economy is an ecosystem. For the human brain, explaining complex ideas with analogy and metaphor helps us relate and understand quickly. In the case of the economic metaphor, however, the imagery not only works to explain the complexity of inputs …
UNM’s Partnership with the Air Force Research Lab Is Changing the Future of Aerospace Photo from the UNM Newsroom.At this very moment, there’s a tower on Sandia Crest sending experimental, high frequency microwaves across the city. Using frequencies outside the range of conventional electronics, this tower is used to collect data on potential electromagnetic signals for future space communications.It’s a …
Closing the Gaps in the New Year By Robin Brulé | Chief Executive StrategistWhen we embarked on this experiment in collective impact nearly five years ago we did not know where the path would lead. We knew Albuquerque was facing some of our toughest economic challenges. We knew there were no simple solutions. We knew that progress toward realizing our …
Debunking the Biggest Funding Myth with Zebras UniteIllustration by Arthur Jones, courtesy of Zebras UniteJennifer Brandel and Mara Zepeda existed in financial purgatory. They’d built mission-driven, for-profit companies that didn’t fit social investment portfolios or venture capitalist criteria. “We’d created tech-enabled companies with purpose, and then discovered this type of company is basically unfundable,” Brandel said. They got frustrated, but …
Flipping the Script on Financially Oppressed CommunitiesBy Vanessa Roanhorse | CEO, Roanhorse Consulting; Co-Founder, Native Women Lead Halfway through a three-day summit in Denver, Colorado someone asked, “Why are we still talking about venture capital?” Boom. That was it. After attending the first half of the Alternative Capital Summit, put on by the Kauffman Foundation, Zebras Unite, and Startup Colorado, …
