The Plan for Baton Rouge, part one

Here in Baton Rouge, there are not enough early stage investment dollars available for new ventures—from either venture funds or organized angel investor networks. Female and African-American entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs are not materially engaged or supported in the area. And perhaps most significantly, only a small number of high-potential firms are being founded.

These are the top problems identified in the recently released plan for Baton Rouge’s entrepreneurial community. JumpStart, an Ohio-based venture development organization, was commissioned by BRAC and the Research Park Corporation (RPC), through a grant funded by the federal Economic Development Adminsitration (EDA), to write a business plan for building the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Baton Rouge.

While there are other significant problems not listed, in my opinion, the problems identified are spot on.

Read the executive summary and full Regional Entrepreneurship Plan here.

What do you think about the plan? Share in the comments section below.