Right to Start Applauds Indiana Governor-Elect Mike Braun on His Planned Creation of an Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Kansas City, MO – December 3, 2024 – Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority, today applauds Indiana Governor-Elect Mike Braun on announcing his planned creation of a statewide Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Governor-Elect Braun has announced his plans for a major restructuring of Indiana’s executive branch. That restructuring includes the creation of an Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, reporting to the Secretary of Commerce.
“It’s enormously important that every state have a designated lead official for entrepreneurship, and Governor-Elect Braun is addressing that need quickly by announcing the creation of an Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” said Victor W. Hwang, Founder and CEO of Right to Start. “He deserves applause for taking that action and, in doing so, making clear that entrepreneurship is a top priority and that there will be a key official leading statewide efforts to streamline processes and remove unnecessary barriers in the way of starting and growing a business.”
Creating an office of entrepreneurship or a similar vehicle for designating a statewide lead for entrepreneurship is a top policy priority of Right to Start. Young businesses create virtually all net job growth in America, and research across the 50 states shows that for every 1 percent increase in the entrepreneurship rate, the poverty rate decreases by 2 percent.
“Real momentum is building across the country for statewide leadership on entrepreneurship,” said Jason Grill, Chief Government Affairs Officer for Right to Start. “In the past 18 months, six states have created an office of entrepreneurship or otherwise designated a director for entrepreneurship: Nevada, New Mexico, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Colorado. Indiana now becomes a seventh early leader, with additional states considering action in the coming year.”
The Governor-Elect’s announcement coincides with another recent development to advance entrepreneurship in Indiana. In October, Right to Start announced the launch of the Indiana Starters Coalition, a statewide initiative to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority. The Coalition is working to advance entrepreneurship across the state: convening entrepreneurs, identifying barriers to starting new businesses, proposing policies to remove those barriers, and engaging all communities including those that have been historically excluded.
For more information, contact Henry Miller at hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com or 917-921-8034.
Right to Start is a national nonpartisan movement to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority throughout the United States. Entrepreneurship has long been viewed as a solitary endeavor – the lone starter in a basement or garage. Right to Start’s vision is to transform America so that all communities prioritize entrepreneurship, clearing away obstacles to ensure that every American has an equal right to start and a level playing field on which to embark.