Charlotte A. Clark
Hometown:
Pittsburgh, PA
Connect: LinkedIn
Charlotte is excited to bolster the existing work by the BASE Network, a collaboration effort between several community organizations in Baltimore to support entrepreneurs throughout the pandemic. By tapping into her product development background, she hopes to create a long-lasting infrastructure that can grow and change with the needs of Baltimore's entrepreneurial community.
Charlotte has a technology background, graduating from MIT with a degree in computer science and working as a software engineer at a Kansas City-based healthcare technology company after graduation. Four years into her career, Charlotte developed interests in product management and entrepreneurship, and in 2020, made a leap into the tech startup space. For three years, Charlotte worked in and with a variety of startups and startup organizations as a consultant, employee and advisor, developing her interest and knowledge in helping entrepreneurs as they begin their journeys as idea and early-stage startup founders.
In 2021, Charlotte started as a contractor within an Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESO) and became more involved with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and how it ties into regional economic development. Fascinated with the systems of support and programming for entrepreneurs funded through philanthropic and regional dollars, Charlotte strives to use her problem solving and people skills to join forces with ESOs as they build and maintain the infrastructure that helps entrepreneurs become successful and in turn, benefits the greater community.
ERC Project
Project Title:
Growth from the GroundUp: Building Networks for An Equitable Economy
Host Community or Region:
Maryland
Host Organization:
Impact Hub Baltimore
The Baltimore BASE Network represents a dynamic coalition of 15+ technical assistance organizations and community lenders actively collaborating to drive equitable economic development outcomes in Baltimore, Md. Their project, “Growth from the GroundUp: Building Networks for An Equitable Economy,” mirrors the coalition’s belief in the strength of the city's BIPOC business community which is why the network advocates for and addresses the challenges faced by underinvested business owners. The ERC Fellow, working with Impact Hub Baltimore and partners, plays a crucial role in advancing these initiatives, strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystem building across the network and Baltimore. Through active listening, collective organizing, and project execution, the ultimate goal will be to strengthen network coordination, expand network capacity for high-quality business support services, and develop tools and resources to address gaps in the current system to make it easier for BIPOC, women, and other underinvested business owners to succeed. By empowering marginalized business owners, this project and coalition will continue to foster a more inclusive, prosperous Baltimore.
Interested in supporting this project or learning more? Contact the ERC program team here.
