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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 47 W o m e n W h o M e a n B u s i n e s s is transportation and timing. "We were really specific when we first started this is what times work for people" to be able to attend Collab program sessions, Smith says. "Making sure that people have the ability to come to our program. If they're taking a bus or a train that they have the funding" to pay for transportation. Moreover, Lee and Smith set out to create a space where a woman, or anyone, feels confident to raise her voice and speak up. Last fall, Collab created an event called "Confident," a panel discus- sion on female entrepreneurship, for which four women came to speak about their experiences in building new enterprises, the work- place and unique barriers that they confronted and how they navigated male-dominated work environ- ments, how they navigate their own perceptions around themselves, their own self worth, their own self confidence, their beliefs and their ideas. "ere are success stories out there, and we want to put people onstage that look like folks that we want to serve, handing the micro- phone to women and having them share their stories, their ups and downs," Lee explains. "Someone that looks like you, someone that has a kid, someone who has two kids, doing the work that you want to do." Redefining entrepreneurship e traditional definition of en- trepreneur is someone who makes money by taking a risk. But for Lee and Smith, entrepreneurship is not so cut-and-dried. "For us, we want to broaden that definition to someone who creates value — whether economic value or social value — by taking a risk on behalf of the community they want to serve," says Lee. "Commu- nity leaders, activists — anyone can have that spirit. And the definition reinforces the notion that people who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution." Smith adds that individuals who know their neighborhoods best are best positioned to build business- es or nonprofits that impact that community. "As a state, there is so much value and so much [benefit] that can come from investing in individuals who are already here, who already know this place and how are these individuals best positioned to re- solve some of Connecticut's deepest inequities," Smith says. Lee and Smith sustain Collab's programming in part through funding from an Innovation Places Grant by CTNext as a part of the Elm City Innovation Collaborative, with partnership support from the New Haven Free Public Library. Additionally, they receive financial support from Guilford Savings Bank and the Community Founda- tion for Greater New Haven. In addition to the incubator program, Collab hosts office hours providing Connecticut entrepre- neurs with a chance to deep-dive into their ventures — whether it's just an idea or an existing organiza- tion. Sessions are 30 minutes, con- ducted over the phone, and open to anyone in Connecticut. In the last year, Collab has served more than 250 entrepreneurs through office hours. By finding institutional partners, funders and investors who are interested in sparking inclusive economic development, Lee says the pair hope to become catalysts for change in the economic-devel- opment landscape of the region. "Right now, looking at the next year or two years, it's about making sure that our entrepreneurs leave our program not only feeling more connected, more educated and more confident but more re- sourced," Lee says. Which can become a perfectly viable model for the rest of the state, Smith adds. "Connecticut is a really inter- esting state," she says. "ere's this feeling that it's an underdog state and we're in this really interesting moment of transition with a new governor and new administra- tion that's there's this chance, this possibility, that we have as a state that what if the story of Connecti- cut in the next 20 years is the state who really did inclusive growth right — that really pulled multiple stakeholders, multiple community partners [together] to do something that no other state, city or region has ever done really well? "We want to be one small part of that pipeline," Smith says. Beyond the traditional met- rics of measuring success, Collab believes that to be truly successful in business, entrepreneurs need confidence and connectedness. Smith says the pair are excited about the role that Collab can play in Connecticut over the coming two decades, and are hoping to help engineer a shi in entrepreneurship toward more inclusive growth, pull- ing on the people who are already here — ready, willing and able. As for their personal legacies in New Haven? "Someone brilliant said people don't remember what you did, but they remember how you made them feel," Smith explains. "I think we embed that into our program — how do we make people feel? I want people to feel like I was reliable, that I followed through and that I was a really good friend." n Smith and Lee (L to r) are working to build entrepreneurs from non- traditional populations. Caroline Smith, Margaret Lee Continued from Page 22 PHOTO/DAVID OTTENSTEIN

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