ENTREPRENEUR BIZ TIPS: Build entrepreneurial equality | Chris Rabb | TEDxPhiladelphia

Here’s Great Tip: Build entrepreneurial equality | Chris Rabb | TEDxPhiladelphia

Here is Something You Should See…


This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. We admire the spirit of the entrepreneur – but the fact is, it’s a lot easier to be entrepreneurial when you come from a community of wealth and privilege. Calling this out, Chris Rabb makes a bold case: It’s time to democratize entrepreneurship. Pulling stories from his own family history (and looking back to the days of US slavery), he shows why challenged communities often have a hard time sustaining new businesses – and calls for all of us to support those who are crazy and hard-headed enough to start a business, no matter where they come from.

When starting a business, sometimes hard work, a great idea, and a good attitude are simply not enough. Chris Rabb explores why in his book Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity, which looks at modern U.S. business in the context of structural inequality. He suggests that through developing commonwealth enterprises, our society can democratize entrepreneurial opportunity, which will lead toward greater social inclusion, economic sustainability and community wealth-building.

Chris teaches social entrepreneurship and organizational innovation at the Fox School of Business at Temple, after running a nationally recognized business incubator in West Philadelphia. A 2013 Knight Foundation BMe Leadership Award recipient, he conducts entrepreneurial literacy outreach to individuals and groups working in low-financial- wealth communities in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Baltimore. Chris is also known for his pioneering work linking genetic testing and family history.

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