Celebrate the beginning of Global Entrepreneurship Week #GEW2020 as we relaunch StartupGrind Orlando with a conversation about building and supporting a robust innovation ecosystem here in Central Florida. We'll chat with Andrea Wesser-Brawner, the first Chief Innovation and Emerging Technology Officer of Orange County. Since her appointment last November by Mayor Demings, Andrea has been responsible for leveraging technology and global trends to position Orange County as an innovation leader.

As Stephen Hudak wrote in the The Orlando Sentinel last December, "While new here, innovation officers have been on the job for years in Boston, New York and Pittsburgh, tapping tech to boost economic development and tackle homelessness and other tough government challenges." Considering that nearly three-quarter's of Ms. Wesser-Brawner's tenure has been in the wake of Covid-19, we'll learn about how she has taken up the particular challenges Orange County has had to tackle and the solutions built out to address them.

If you're an entrepreneur building a business and looking to connect with resources in the community or a community builder seeking to help create those connections, you'll want to attend on November 16th. Join us for a conversation about building a strong innovation ecosystem to accelerate sustained entrepreneurial growth in Central Florida.

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Some of the topics we'll cover with Andrea:

What is the role of local government in ensuring a healthy innovation ecosystem? the projects, opportunities, and challenges she plans to tackle? How will today's and future entrepreneurial community members benefit?

What does that mean when the unexpected event - like the onset of a prolonged pandemic puts the system and the community it serves under duress

We'll also discuss how the pandemic has changed strategies, expectations and the role of her office in the county's response, and what tools and techniques ecosystem builders can apply to be more effective in the new reality.

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When: 6:30pm -8:00pm - Monday, November 16, 2020

Where: This is a VIRTUAL event on the BEVY Virtual Platform. RSVP to get the link.