Entrepreneur Resource Groups (ERGs)

The Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute (AEI) and The EDGE, in partnership with the Culverhouse College of Business at The University of Alabama, Innovation Depot in Birmingham and Innovation Portal in Mobile are partnering to launch the first entrepreneur resource groups (ERGs). Modeled after corporate employee resource groups (ERGs), this program is being launched to connect and assist people with different interests and identities to learn more about each other, support each other, and bring resources together to help build and grow their businesses. Monthly meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month from 5 – 7pm at The EDGE.

BELONG

Creating an acceleration experience where everyone is in!

INNOVATE

Supporting diversity to drive
innovation.

GROW

We see the positive impact on
founders and their ventures.

The EDGE ERG program is designed to help bring entrepreneurs together in an effort to build their networks, provide advocacy for their identity groups, and learn from each other through what we call collisions (orchestrated meetings with people who are from an identity group different from your own).

The ERG program also needs allies to help some of our less represented groups.

To date, we have 3 groups: APAC@TheEDGE | Allies@TheEDGE | Black@TheEDGE | Multi-Cultural@TheEDGE | Women@TheEDGE

Our ERG program parallels well established employee resource groups, which have been in existence since the early 1960s.

Also, if you are inspired to start up a new ERG@TheEDGE, make sure to talk to Dr. Theresa Welbourne (twelbourne@culverhouse.ua.edu).

Examples of other ERGs include: Hispanic/Latino – Veterans – LGBTQ+ – Persons with Disabilities – Indigenous – and more.

We want to learn about each other, learn with each other, and help each other be successful in our entrepreneurial ventures.