Melissa Roberts Chapman on EDA Funding, Ecosystem Building, and Entrepreneurship

In this episode, host David Ponraj is joined by Melissa Roberts Chapman. Melissa leads Federation of American Scientists regional entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem-building work across the country. Both David and Melissa dive into EDA funding, tech hubs, the CHIPS Act, and much more.

Also featured in this episode, Melissa and David discuss innovation, innovation ecosystems, and ecosystem building. Melissa details necessity-driven entrepreneurship vs opportunity-driven entrepreneurship.

David and Melissa also ponder on a pressing question, “Who is the gatekeeper, who are these ecosystem builders who can equitably distribute the wealth coming from EDA funding towards tech hubs?”

In connection with current events and current federal priorities, the Biden administration emphasizes competition with China for efficiency. The CHIPS Act and more are helping to allow for equitable wealth creation and a beautiful, efficient system will be created. In the CHIPS Act, there are ten critical technologies, such as quantum computing, advanced comms technology, biotech, energy storage, and more. This is where a line is drawn in the sand, as it is where we want to compete with China to be successful within the next ten years. 

Visit fas.org for more information and connect with Melissa Roberts through LinkedIn. She is building a team of ecosystem builders with an interest in public policy. She wants to hear your ideas about novel entrepreneurship or cluster-building policies, and she wants to get you involved in her work. Reach out for more.

Check out this article written by Melissa to learn more about systems thinking in entrepreneurship.

For more on the Cynefin framework, visit this link.

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