CC009: building a collaborative startup ecosystem in Memphis // a Coffee Chat with Katie Milligan (Start Co.)

Katherine (Katie) Milligan brings the power of public policy to building entrepreneurial communities. She serves as Chief of Staff at Start Co. where she supports the development of corporate, governmental, and investment relationships to support building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Katie previously served as the Director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship for the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), a federal agency that works to improve regional economic opportunity in the eight-state Delta region. While at the DRA, Katie launched the Delta Entrepreneurship Network, a competitive fellowship program to identify entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship support organizations in the Delta. She is a founding member of the Start Here Initiative, a community-led effort in Little Rock seeking to close the gap that exists for women and minorities in access to capital in entrepreneurship. Katie has a B.A. in political science from the University of Mississippi and a M.P.S. from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. // Start Co. is a non-profit venture development organization founded in 2008 and located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Start Co. supports the development of corporate, governmental, and investment relationships to build and grow an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Learn more about Start Co.: http://neverstop.co/ Start Co. startup toolkit: http://neverstop.co/startco-toolkit/ Follow Katie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmilligan24 Follow upside on Twitter: https://twitter.com/upsidefm Subscribe to the update: https://upside.fm/update