The Reality of Racism in the Entrepreneurial Environment: the Hurdles that Need to be Overcome 

Recent racial strife has led to calls for change and inspired entrepreneurship educators to re-visit the unique challenges faced by founders from underrepresented groups. This talk will examine the biases that exist in startup ecosystems, including education, launch, access to capital and potential exits. Some potential scenarios will be explored for improving the situation, with a special emphasis on how we all can help. 

About the Speaker

 Mike Panesis is the Executive Director of the California Lutheran University Center for Entrepreneurship. He is a startup community leader in the Conejo Valley and Ventura County, to the north of Los Angeles.  He comes to Cal Lutheran from UC Santa Barbara, where he ran UCSB’s highly successful New Venture Competition. Mr. Panesis is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and early stage investing.

Mike is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governors of Tech Coast Angels (TCA), the largest accredited angel investor group in the country. He heads TCA’s Central Coast Investor Network. Mike is a founding member of the Santa Barbara Angel Alliance.

Mike has an MBA Marketing from Rutgers University and a BS in Computer Science for Business from the DeVry Institute of Technology. He lives in Camarillo with his wife and two children. He is on the Steering Committee of the Ventura County Greek Festival.

Please watch the training and read the documents on the BP ZOOM Resource Center, so you are prepared for the meeting. It is essential that you RSVP 24 hours in advance using the link below, so our Membership Coordinator can send you the meeting information promptly.

Cost: Free