Episode Summary

In this episode of the Carolina Codecast, host Barry Jones talks with Eric Weissmann, Executive Director of NextGEN, about his career journey from Cincinnati and the Walt Disney Company to Greenville. Eric discusses his work in entrepreneurial ecosystem building, his role at Cintrifuse, and his current efforts to foster innovation and startup growth in the Greenville area. They delve into the importance of startups for regional economic development, strategies for attracting venture capital, and the comprehensive interconnected support systems needed to nurture entrepreneurial communities. Don’t miss this one!

“ There was an accelerator here, an incubator over there. Those universities were over here. It was like everybody was playing their own notes, but, but it wasn't making a song? You needed a conductor of the orchestra…” - Eric Weissman

Episode Notes

Highlights from this week’s episode include:

* 02:23  - Understanding Ecosystem Building and Economic Development

* 07:27  - Cintrifuse in Cincinnati, Union Hall and Startup Cincy

* 18:54  - South Carolina's Venture Capital Challenge

* 27:12 - Strategies for Retaining Startups

* 32:07  - Disney College Program Experience

* 41:33  - Teaching Entrepreneurship at Miami University

* 49:49  - NextGen and Startup Greenville Initiatives

Links

* Eric Weissmann on LinkedIn

* NextGEN

* Cintrifuse

* StartupCincy

Carolina Code Cast is a podcast that covers a wide variety of topics in the coding and data space. Learn more about this year’s Carolina Code Conference at carolina.codes.

Developed with assistance from Heard Media.

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