As part of our ‘Partner Spotlight’ series, we introduce our 2022 ECOSYSTEM partner, echo. Echo is an entrepreneurial community center, supporting any age, any stage entrepreneur, building a collective of entrepreneurs to share resources, inform the community at-large, and maintain ongoing inspiration and guidance to spur growth and sustainability.
Describe your organization in 25 words or less.
Echo is a community center for entrepreneurs, businesses and resources to pool together towards a common goal: improved social mobility through entrepreneurship.
How does your organization support entrepreneurs?
Echo offers multi-generational and demand-driven programming. Our EchoSystem program is a multi-tiered training program for entrepreneurs that provides advanced training and one-year coaching support. The EchoReverb program is an after school club for middle and high school students looking to explore entrepreneurship, social innovation, and to build their community. Finally, the EchoChamber is our entrepreneurs-in-residence program where we offer office hours, lunch and learn workshops, happy hours, and shared marketing events. Echo’s programs are designed and led by the participants. Both youth and adult entrepreneurs serve on advisory boards, helping identify the needs of the community so our leadership can address those needs.
How has the NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM grant helped your organization?
NC IDEA has helped Echo with our vision to improve social mobility. This work involves the creation of an entrepreneurial center that allows existing and interested entrepreneurs of all ages to have a safe space to receive training, get questions answered, and find resources that are often reserved for those with larger incomes or the privilege of family/connections who can give them free assistance when needed.
This grant allows Echo to fill the void of those missing connections, while offering our clients the resources they need to be a successful business or to build a strong entrepreneurial mindset that they can use in the future. We do a great deal of work with youth, and this grant has given us the opportunity to balance our work with more security.
What problem is your organization trying to solve?
We’re working to improve social mobility throughout the Triangle. Unfortunately, the Triangle ranks very low in social mobility compared to other regions in the United States. We believe that entrepreneurship can level the playing field and provide people with the opportunity to earn a fair income based on their skills and connections.
What advice would you give other organizations in acquiring funding? 
The advice we’d give is the same advice we would give any potential business: Be sure you’re solving a problem that people want to have solved. There are a lot of speculations as to what the community wants and needs, but in the end the community needs to let us know their desires. It is our job to serve that need, rather than just do things that make us feel good or that offer little or no real support. When you are looking to build successful programs, be sure those programs can solve the problem in the long term, and not just be a continuing revolving door solving nothing.
Published October 16, 2024
Submission Provided by: Geraud Staton
(Former Executive Director)
As part of our ‘Partner Spotlight’ series, we introduce our 2022 ECOSYSTEM partner, echo. Echo is an entrepreneurial community center, supporting any age, any stage entrepreneur, building a collective of entrepreneurs to share resources, inform the community at-large, and maintain ongoing inspiration and guidance to spur growth and sustainability.
Describe your organization in 25 words or less.
Echo is a community center for entrepreneurs, businesses and resources to pool together towards a common goal: improved social mobility through entrepreneurship.
How does your organization support entrepreneurs?
Echo offers multi-generational and demand-driven programming. Our EchoSystem program is a multi-tiered training program for entrepreneurs that provides advanced training and one-year coaching support. The EchoReverb program is an after school club for middle and high school students looking to explore entrepreneurship, social innovation, and to build their community. Finally, the EchoChamber is our entrepreneurs-in-residence program where we offer office hours, lunch and learn workshops, happy hours, and shared marketing events. Echo’s programs are designed and led by the participants. Both youth and adult entrepreneurs serve on advisory boards, helping identify the needs of the community so our leadership can address those needs.
How has the NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM grant helped your organization?
NC IDEA has helped Echo with our vision to improve social mobility. This work involves the creation of an entrepreneurial center that allows existing and interested entrepreneurs of all ages to have a safe space to receive training, get questions answered, and find resources that are often reserved for those with larger incomes or the privilege of family/connections who can give them free assistance when needed.
This grant allows Echo to fill the void of those missing connections, while offering our clients the resources they need to be a successful business or to build a strong entrepreneurial mindset that they can use in the future. We do a great deal of work with youth, and this grant has given us the opportunity to balance our work with more security.
What problem is your organization trying to solve?
We’re working to improve social mobility throughout the Triangle. Unfortunately, the Triangle ranks very low in social mobility compared to other regions in the United States. We believe that entrepreneurship can level the playing field and provide people with the opportunity to earn a fair income based on their skills and connections.
What advice would you give other organizations in acquiring funding?
The advice we’d give is the same advice we would give any potential business: Be sure you’re solving a problem that people want to have solved. There are a lot of speculations as to what the community wants and needs, but in the end the community needs to let us know their desires. It is our job to serve that need, rather than just do things that make us feel good or that offer little or no real support. When you are looking to build successful programs, be sure those programs can solve the problem in the long term, and not just be a continuing revolving door solving nothing.
Published October 16, 2024
Submission Provided by: Geraud Staton
(Former Executive Director)
