Heather Lyne, 1717 Collective

Meet Heather Lyne, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Director at 1717 Collective, Richmond. Experienced community and economic development professional with a demonstrated history of working across sectors to cultivate sustainable change in neighborhoods and historic commercial districts. Heather is skilled in persistence, organizational leadership, ecosystem building, grant writing, project design and implementation, partnership development, public affairs, placemaking, and event planning.
The 1717 Collective is a group of locals supporting local – a group of nonprofit leaders supporting community members, small businesses, and founders in the Greater Richmond Region (and beyond). Together, we are championing the small business economy through the region's first "main street" focused ecosystem initiative. https://1717innovationcenter.capitalone.com/

“What we do well – Connectivity. We support the inclusive expansion and growth of the small business community by developing and maintaining deep and positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders and entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) across the region. Through this interconnectedness, we make it easier for entrepreneurs to ‘find their people,’ build their network, and access the resources they need for their business.”

The Discussion. 1 Million Cups is a national entrepreneurship program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which promotes peer learning and professional connections that assist entrepreneurs.
RVA Works brought 1 Million Cups to Richmond in 2014, and have supported over 445 meetups.

1 Million Cups - Richmond is hosted by the Robins School of Business, University of Richmond.

At each 1 Million Cups, business founders as guest speakers share about their ventures and discuss the challenges that they are facing during the development process. Participants can learn from the speakers’ experiences, discuss valuable insights, and connect with other entrepreneurs, students, faculty, and investors.

Logistics. Connect with entrepreneurs, learn from peers, and contribute to the conversation:

• Wednesday, Apr. 23rd
• 8:30am EST - Coffee & Connection
• 9:00am - 10:00am EST - Presentation & Discussion

No pre-registration is required. Join us:

Robins School of Business
102 UR Drive, iLab Room 123
University of Richmond, VA 23173

Parking. Free parking is available in the U5 and U6 lots immediately adjacent to the Robins School. Please enter the main foyer, turn to the left and proceed to room 123 (EY Innovation Lab) on the ground floor.

Please note that visitors have a two hour parking window.

Please sign in when you enter the room, providing your license plate number.

On Zoom Webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89704898662?pwd=qqQSXrITAxtKGqHvInhDLTx1vbTavX.1