A Jacksonville native is now in charge of entrepreneurship for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
His name is Doug Rand, and he came back to his hometown last week to talk about business at Jacksonville University.
In this week’s “Business Brief,” analyst John Burr tells WJCT News Director Jessica Palombo how Rand views the River City’s business climate from Washington.
Rand says the White House has made it a priority to include more women and minorities in entrepreneurship nationwide. Only 3 percent of venture capital money goes to firms owned by women, and just 1 percent goes to minority-owned firms, he told Burr.
In Jacksonville, Rand is glad to see progress in building the "entrepreneurial ecosystem," an idea trumpeted by investor and author Brad Feld. Specifically, he's encouraged by the startup culture at the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University, as well as companies like Johnson & Johnson investing in STEM education.
