Right to Start Names Arkansas-Based Entrepreneur Kim Lane as Chief Operating Officer
“Kim is a remarkable force for entrepreneurship, and I’m excited that she is now overseeing operations, as we grow Right to Start to achieve its extraordinary potential,” said Victor Hwang
Right to Start announced today that it has appointed Kim Lane as Chief Operating Officer.
Kim will oversee implementation of Right to Start’s initiatives to advance entrepreneurship as a priority in communities nationwide. She will work in close collaboration with Founder and CEO Victor Hwang.
Nonprofit Right to Start was launched in 2020 and has grown rapidly to have numerous initiatives underway. All are designed to transform America by unleashing entrepreneurial opportunity for everyone. Those initiatives include, among others, organizing a growing group of 13 ambassadors in 11 states, launching programs on the ground in three states (Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee), increasing understanding by policymakers of the needs of entrepreneurs, producing a video talk show called “The Start Show,” and orchestrating a dynamic media relations capacity.
Kim Lane, a resident of Conway, Arkansas, is an entrepreneur and business executive with experience working with Fortune 100 companies, Silicon Valley-based startups, and the nation’s leading foundations.
She has worked with Facebook to provide strategy and operations for its Elevate program, which offers education and support to Black, Latinx and Hispanic-owned businesses; she has served as Senior Advisor to the Global Entrepreneurship Network and as Regional Representative for the Kauffman Foundation’s 1 Million Cups program in five Southwestern states. She is deeply committed to changing the world through entrepreneurship and leveling the playing field to empower everyone to succeed. Through the Global Entrepreneurship Network, she has mentored entrepreneurial ecosystem builders in Nepal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, and St. Lucia. She served as a U.S. Delegate to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa; Istanbul, Turkey; and Manama, Bahrain. She was previously CEO of an Arkansas-based entrepreneurial support organization that helps start and scale businesses in the region. She was named to Arkansas Business magazine’s “40 Under 40” and was named a “Startup Champion” by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, among other recognitions.
“Kim is a remarkable force for entrepreneurship, and I’m excited that she is now overseeing operations, as we grow Right to Start to achieve its extraordinary potential,” said Victor Hwang. “New businesses create virtually all job growth in America, and the challenge is to ensure that new business growth is fostered in every community and for everyone. Right to Start has accepted that challenge, and with Kim as Chief Operating Officer we look forward to meeting it.”
