Case Study of the Week: Promoting Small Town Local Start-Ups

May 9, 2022

Entrepreneurship

You are to assume the role of an investment team working at New Fund, an investment firm that specializes in venture capital located in a city of 4 million people. You will be meeting with the founder of the firm to discuss your plans to increase the number of start-ups coming from small towns.

The majority of start-ups that receive investor funding are located in large metropolitan areas. Entrepreneurs in large cities often have more local resources for funding than entrepreneurs living in small communities. Venture capitalists wrongly assume that start-ups from small communities do not have as much earning potential as those in metropolitan areas.

In an effort to increase the number of small-town start-ups that receive venture capital funding, the founder of New Fund wants your team to plan activities in small-town cities across the nation that will showcase local start-ups and give small town entrepreneurs the chance to secure venture capital.

The founder wants your team to create the activities that will occur in small towns that will showcase local start-ups, how representatives from New Fund will be involved, and how the promotion of local start-ups will positively affect the small towns.

Questions?

Randi Bibiano
Competitive Events Specialist
randi@deca.org

Randi Bibiano is DECA's competitive events specialist. In this role, she conceptualizes and authors role-play scenarios for the collegiate and high school division’s competitive events programs. She also manages DECA's online competitive events and serves as a liaison to volunteer efforts at DECA's educational conferences.

Discussion Questions

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Classroom Connection

Career CLuster:

Entrepreneurship

Instructional Area(s):

Promotion

Performance Indicators:

Explain the need for entrepreneurial discovery
Identify the impact of small business/entrepreneurship on market economies
Explain the role of promotion as a marketing function
Identify types of public-relations activities