NEWS

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis and United Nations, growth in the creative economy is outpacing growth in any other sector, globally. Artistic and cultural entrepreneurs are increasingly recognized as a key component to economic innovation, with education initiatives supporting “STEAM,” or STEM education with an added component of arts. The Creative Startups Accelerator, founded by the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship and supported by NM EPSCoR, is the first startup accelerator in the nation designed by and for creative entrepreneurs, and it capitalizes on STEAM-based entrepreneurial activity to support business development at the intersection of design, technology, and creative expression.

To date, startup companies that were part of the first two Creative Startups Accelerator cohorts have raised nearly $3 million in private investment and created over 140 jobs in New Mexico. Nearly 90% of these startups are women- or minority-owned. Companies that straddle the creative and technology spheres have been leading success stories. The Creative Startups Accelerator is catalyzing growth in New Mexico’s creative and cultural industries and bringing lasting economic benefits to the state through investment and jobs. Creative Startups’ activities that launched in New Mexico have been so successful, communities around the country and world are seeking out the skillset and curriculum the accelerator brings, and the program is expanding to North Carolina, Baltimore, and Portugal. Companies that span the nexus of technology, engineering, and arts are now recognized as one of the most promising economic growth sectors in New Mexico. The Albuquerque Journal recently wrote about the success of Creative Startups:

This year, the accelerator won a $190,000 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Missouri to help package the program for use in other places. Now, with the new licensing structure complete, Creative Startups is getting inquiries from all over the world. “We’ve been contacted by potential partners in more than 40 cities,” [co-founder Alice] Loy said. “We have ten new licensing arrangements in the pipeline now.” The Portugal program will be held in the Portuguese city of Angra, where “Startup Angra” is now working with entrepreneurs and companies.

This year's "Deep Dive" will be on October 24 - 28 in Albuquerque, with a public "Demo Day" on October 26 at Kosmos. Learn more about Creative Startups, including the 2016 Cohort, on their website!