David Ponraj, Dell Gines, Elle Withall, Brandon Martinez
Time: 3:15–4:00 | Location: Hollingsworth A
About this session
Founders need clear next steps. Ecosystem builders need programs that reliably produce results. This session brings both sides together. Dell Gines (International Economic Development Council) shares field-tested principles of entrepreneur-led economic development, moderated by David Ponraj (Economic Impact Catalyst), with BBIF Florida adding capital-readiness and capacity insights.
We’ll map the founder journey from idea to scale and show how ESOs can translate that journey into services that work — using leading measures (activation, mentor touchpoints, capital-readiness milestones) and lagging measures (revenue growth, quality jobs, capital deployed).
Panelists include:
Moderator: David Ponraj – Economic Impact Catalyst (EIC)
Dell Gines – International Economic Development Council (IEDC)
Elle Withall – Bartow Economic Development Council
Brandon Martinez – Suncoast Credit Union