Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

For decades, Governors of both parties have made entrepreneurship and small business development a top policy priority. As new business formation and self-employment increased during the pandemic, entrepreneurship emerged as a key driver of local, regional, and state economies.

A strong entrepreneurial ecosystem fuels job creation, boosts productivity, and enhances overall economic competitiveness. Governors continue to demonstrate their leadership in advancing innovative policy to position their states as great places for startups and small businesses to develop.

To better understand how Governors are carrying out their policy agendas for entrepreneurship, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and Heartland Forward, the nation’s only think-and-do tank dedicated to advancing economic success in the middle of the country, held a series of structured learning calls with Governors’ advisors and state policymakers from across the country, with an emphasis on those in “the heartland.” The findings of these calls complement an existing body of work by both the NGA Center and Heartland Forward to highlight state policy options for entrepreneurship.

This brief highlights four key opportunities for Governors to advance policy that supports entrepreneurship, along with four state examples that highlight these opportunities in action. Opportunities for Governors to consider include:

1. Expanding the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem;
2. Streamlining and reducing regulatory barriers;
3. Reaching and serving entrepreneurs in rural communities; and
4. Championing a vision for entrepreneurship.

Tennessee was one of four states called out in the document that can be found here.

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