Empowering Entrepreneurs: Stories, Resources & A Conversation

If you are starting a business, growing one, or have ever considered buying an existing business instead of starting from zero, this will be a different kind of Microbusiness Network gathering.

We’re joining the St. Louis Mosaic Project / World Trade Center St. Louis for an evening built around real entrepreneurs, real businesses, food, conversation, and connections—not another classroom presentation.
We’ll use Dutchtown as a living example of how entrepreneurs start small, learn by doing, build customers, connect to resources, and begin creating something that can last.

### What you’ll experience

• Meet early-stage food entrepreneurs from Urban Eats and hear directly about what they are building, what they are learning, and what is helping them move forward. Several will be sharing samples of their products.
• Hear a very different entrepreneurship story from Jason Wang and Dmitri Postnov of Winkelmann Drug, who acquired and are building the next chapter of a neighborhood pharmacy with more than 100 years of history.
• Meet Rajiv Gurung of Gurung Bazaar, NIC’s 2025 Immigrant Entrepreneur Award recipient, and hear about entrepreneurship, family, community, and building a future through business ownership.
• Learn about resources and connections available through St. Louis Mosaic Project, Neighborhood Innovation Center, Dutchtown Innovation Hub, Urban Eats, and the broader St. Louis entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Get a practical glimpse of how AI and better “resource rails” can help entrepreneurs move from “I don’t know what to do next” to the right knowledge, person, resource, and next action.
• Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, business leaders, community partners, and people who may become customers, collaborators, advocates, or simply the person who opens the next door.

We’re also pleased to welcome Cat Neville of Explore St. Louis for a special welcome as we connect entrepreneurship, food, neighborhoods, culture, and the larger story of St. Louis.

While this gathering intentionally elevates immigrant entrepreneurs and the contributions they are making to our region, it is absolutely not limited to immigrant business owners. The lessons—how to start, test, acquire, grow, connect, and build something lasting—apply to entrepreneurs at every stage and from every background.

### The idea for the evening

Build Here. Learn by Doing. Connect. Grow. Build a Legacy.
Come meet someone you don’t already know. Taste something new. Hear how other entrepreneurs are figuring it out. And leave with at least one new connection or idea that can move your own business forward.