Jul152015
Posted at 5:19 PM
On Tuesday, Secretary Pritzker traveled to Kansas City to address up-and-coming entrepreneurs as well as important community groups.
She began the day with a roundtable at Digital Sandbox, a company that provides proof-of-concept resources to support the commercialization of new ideas and promote business and job growth in the Kansas City area. There, Secretary Pritzker spoke with local entrepreneurs about how the Department of Commerce can work alongside new businesses to shape the next great era of American entrepreneurship and innovation. As “America’s Innovation Agency,” the Department of Commerce prioritizes its support of startups, entrepreneurship and business incubators through intellectual property protection, collection and dissemination of data that helps build businesses, and investments in local economic development.
Digital Sandbox is a perfect example of how the U.S. Department of Commerce and the entire Obama Administration are supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems around the country through public-private partnerships. The company has received two i6 Challenge Grants from our Department’s Economic Development Administration. The purpose of the i6 grant competition is to accelerate product development, spur the formation of start-ups, and create small businesses by supporting Proof of Concept Centers at universities and research consortiums across the country. Launched in February 2013, Digital Sandbox’s proof-of-concept program has worked with more than 300 entrepreneurs and early-stage companies across the metro area. To date, Digital Sandbox has raised about $18 million in private funding to promote new ideas, business opportunities, and job growth in the region.
Later in the day, Secretary Pritzker spoke at the NCLR Annual Conference about the importance of the Latino community to the United States’ economy, and to America’s future. Her speech described much of what Commerce will prioritize over the next 18 months.
In her remarks, Secretary Pritzker addressed ways to ensure that the United States remains on the leading edge of innovation and education in the rapidly-changing economy of the 21stcentury. She discussed how the Department of Commerce and the Obama Administration are working to invest in our people, in innovation, and in infrastructure. One such way—advancing permanent, comprehensive immigration reform—will propel this path forward by fostering economic growth and competitiveness for each person in the United States. Immigration reform is not just a moral obligation; it is also a matter of economic necessity. One recent study found that almost half of Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Yahoo, and Home Depot, were established by immigrants or their children. The United States must welcome the best and brightest to our shores because failure to attract the top minds, workers, and innovators to our communities will result in the American economy being left behind. By enacting smart policies like comprehensive immigration reform, the Administration can form a strong foundation for long-term prosperity for all American businesses, workers, and families.
Founded in 1968, the NCLR serves as the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, with subgroups and networks that reach 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The annual conference serves as the meeting ground for more than 25,000 community leaders, officials, and corporations.