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MBDA at White House Demo Day

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As the only Federal agency dedicated to the competitiveness of minority businesses, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) was honored to be invited as guests of the White House during the inaugural White House Demo Day hosted by President Barack Obama. The half-day event showcased over 90 minority and female entrepreneurs presenting their groundbreaking and innovative work.

MBDA National Director Alejandra Y. Castillo, National Deputy Director Albert Shen, Associate Director Efrain Gonzalez, along with MBDA intern Longyang Zhu, shared MBDA's client success stories with the entrepreneurs present. MBDA representatives informed the start-ups on federal procurement opportunities and the role MBDA’s nationwide network of Business Centers play in promoting inclusive entrepreneurship through access to contracts, capital, and markets.

In his keynote address to the audience, President Obama called attention to the need for diversity and inclusion throughout the nation, citing the low numbers of women and minorities in leading start-ups. MBDA is proud to be on the forefront of this issue, recently partnering with National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer to support the Minority Business Enterprise Technology Transfer Innovation Consortium program. Through this “lab to market” initiative, MBDA will promote high-technology opportunities to minority-owned businesses and institutions to support American innovation. Alejandra Y. Castillo and Efrain Gonzalez spoke with Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States, about this initiative, stressing the importance of leveraging minority businesses enterprises to create a pipeline for future entrepreneurs.

The success of the White House Demo Day and the spotlight of the minority and women entrepreneurs is synonymous to MBDA’s continuing success and efforts to increase the global competitiveness of both the minority community and the United States.

View photos from the event on our Facebook page.