Where it's All About the Entrepreneur
Article by Vanessa Salvia
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Without entrepreneurs, innovation is impossible. "Our mission is to help people get the information and tools they need to be successful in their entrepreneurial endeavor," says Shane Johnson, of RAIN Eugene. "Much of what we do is connecting people with mentors and resources like SBDC, SCORE, Community Lending Works, and others. Our other activities focus on entrepreneurial training and activation."
RAIN Eugene offers year-round programming to help entrepreneurs and startups identify and connect with the resources they need to grow businesses and start new ones. In doing so, RAIN Eugene helps to grow the entrepreneurial culture and community of Eugene-Springfield. They do this by taking a platform approach through partnerships and program development. RAIN Eugene and its partners advocate for entrepreneurs and provide resources including talent, infrastructure, connectivity, and capital. Each year, RAIN Eugene hosts a 16-week business accelerator program in which participants work closely with mentors and business professionals to develop the skills they need to validate the market for their product or service. Participants then develop a plan to launch into that market. "Entrepreneurship is about recognizing market opportunities and developing products and services to sell in those markets," says Johnson. Prior to the accelerator program is the 5-week ID8 Pre-Accelerator program which helps participants fully develop their idea and put it into a format that they can create a strategy and plan to start to execute. This helps by providing them with people to talk to about their company so they can recruit team members, ask for specific help, and potentially secure capital. There is no experience required to participate, so this a real "get your idea off the ground" opportunity. People can connect to the startup ecosystem through RAIN Eugene in a variety of ways. Every third Thursday of the month from 9-11 a.m., stop by RAIN Eugene's office at 942 Olive St. for coffee and conversation. Open mentoring is also available at the same location on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. |
"The goal is to raise the level of community entrepreneurship," explains Johnson. "Supporting very early stage companies by having a welcoming and hospitable place to gain the information, skills, and connections to be successful is essential for attaining this goal.”
Contact RAIN Eugene at info@raineugene.org.
Contact RAIN Eugene at info@raineugene.org.
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