In January of this year, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson established the Mayor’s Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, intending to encourage start-ups in Dallas and attract outside businesses to set their roots down here. Now, with the help of DEC Network, he is rolling out his first major program, the Mayor’s Startup Package, to help meet those goals. “Dallas is a city of opportunity, and entrepreneurship and innovation are part of our city’s DNA,” Johnson said. “Risk-takers and business pioneers are the keys to our goal of becoming an internationally recognized hub for entrepreneurs. The Mayor’s Startup Package can help take their work to the next level and provide the critical support that our startups need most.”
The Mayor’s Startup Package is a collection of services and discounts put together to help entrepreneurs get their business off the ground and create growth in small local businesses. The package offers over $500,000 in deals and pro-bono services from companies like IBM, Dell, Google, and Amazon, among others. In addition, companies can find help with training, consulting, networking, software, and many more opportunities.
One local business owner who is hoping to take advantage of the program is Anthara Patrice. During the pandemic, Patrice, who has a background in chemistry, partnered with another chemist friend to create a line of non-toxic cleaning and sanitation projects. As a minority and woman, whose business has already created jobs in the area, Patrice feels her business is an excellent example of a company that could benefit from the Startup Package. “What sets Think Safe apart is that we do not take ‘no’ for an answer, and we also provide jobs to what some may consider the unemployable. So those who may have made a mistake in their past or those who are reentering the workforce, and those who are willing to learn and try something new,” says Patrice.
“Dallas has all the pieces it needs to be an innovation hub that’s internationally recognized, and I think that we can do that, and I think bringing together those resources and making people aware of the kind of resources that are here is exactly what we need to do that,” said The DEC Network Program Manager Will Akins. He encourages anyone who is interested in the program or feels their company could benefit from it to apply here.