[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ark-bus.png” title_text=”ark bus” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”40%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|||720px||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_font=”–et_global_body_font||||||||” header_font=”Open Sans||||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”988.2px” custom_margin=”|43px||43px|false|false” custom_padding=”13px||20px|1px||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK.<\/strong><\/b> \u2014 Startup Junkie Foundation is proud to announce its recognition as a finalist for the Nonprofit Organization of the Year<\/strong><\/b> in the 2025 Arkansas Business of the Year Awards. Organized by Arkansas Business<\/em><\/i>, this celebrated awards program honors outstanding businesses and nonprofit organizations across the state that have demonstrated exceptional impact, resilience, and growth.<\/p>\n The annual Arkansas Business of the Year Awards will honor finalists and winners during a ceremony on Wednesday, March 5, 2025<\/strong><\/b>, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock<\/strong><\/b>. Finalists were chosen by an independent panel of judges, who evaluated nominees based on their ability to adapt through challenging economic times, exceed industry norms in performance, and significantly contribute to their communities and the state.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are incredibly honored to be recognized as a finalist. This nomination reflects the hard work and dedication of our team and their commitment to serving our entrepreneurial community,” said Caleb Talley, executive director of Startup Junkie Foundation. “It\u2019s a testament to our mission of empowering Arkansas entrepreneurs and small business owners to pursue their dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n Startup Junkie Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas and beyond. The foundation provides expert resources, workshops, mentorship, and programming to help individuals and businesses build, grow, and scale their ventures. Through these efforts, they aim to foster economic growth, job creation, and innovation across the region and state.<\/p>\n Finalists and winners will be celebrated at the 2025 Arkansas Business of the Year Awards Ceremony<\/strong><\/b>:<\/p>\n For more details about the awards program, sponsorships, or tickets, visit Arkansas Business of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Startup Junkie Foundation stands alongside an impressive list of nonprofit finalists, including Holy Sews Inc., Morgan Nick Foundation, Special Olympics Arkansas, and Women\u2019s Foundation of Arkansas.<\/p>\n To learn more about Startup Junkie Foundation and its work, visit www.startupjunkie.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Media Contact:<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Caleb Talley<\/p>\n Executive Director at Startup Junkie<\/p>\n Caleb@startupjunkie.org<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Up for Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award in Wednesday’s Ceremony FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. \u2014 Startup Junkie Foundation is proud to announce its recognition as a finalist for the Nonprofit Organization of the Year in the 2025 Arkansas Business of the Year Awards. Organized by Arkansas Business, this celebrated awards program honors outstanding businesses and nonprofit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" ARise is on a mission to empower tech ventures in Arkansas to scale up, create high-wage employment opportunities, and drive world-class technological innovation throughout the state. With a vision of becoming the driving force behind entrepreneurial economic growth in Arkansas, ARise aims to establish the state as a premier destination for tech companies worldwide to start and scale their businesses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n ARise offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to support startups and entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey:<\/p>\r\n\r\n ARise provides personalized consulting and coaching to guide tech ventures toward success, from concept validation to scaling strategies. Differentiating itself from other programs, ARise provides its startups with coaching on a continued basis and regular check-ins to ensure each venture has a customized plan to receive services and support.<\/p>\r\n\r\n ARise helps startups navigate the capital landscape, connecting them with funding opportunities and providing the support they need to secure investment. Whether a startup is looking for venture capital or non-dilutive government support, ARise assists innovators with securing the best funding for the current stage of their company. The program also offers investor recruitment and education to support startups within Arkansas.<\/p>\r\n\r\n ARise's network of SMEs and mentors offers invaluable guidance and support across industries, empowering entrepreneurs to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. This SME network provides a breadth of knowledge for new ventures, including the expertise of those who have grown their own companies and those who have proficiency in highly specialized fields like biotechnology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and retail value chain management.<\/p>\r\n\r\n As a collaboration between Startup Junkie, Conductor, and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, ARise facilitates connections between startups and established companies to foster growth and expansion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n ARise strengthens the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Arkansas through a comprehensive digital resource library, targeted events, and collaborations with other entrepreneurial support organizations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n The ARise program is open to tech and tech-enabled ventures that are Arkansas-based and scalable. All services are offered at no charge to entrepreneurs across the state. To enroll in the program, visit\u00a0www.ARiseArkansas.org<\/a>\u00a0to (1) complete an onboarding application and (2) schedule an initial consultation with a program representative.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \u201cGrowing technology companies is critical for Arkansas\u2019 long-term economic success. The ARise program is a key element of our strategy for providing support and resources for tech ventures as they scale up in the Natural State.\u201d - Clint O\u2019Neal, Executive Director, Arkansas Economic Development Commission<\/p>\r\n \u201cLaunching a tech venture is a challenging endeavor \u2013 and entrepreneurs do not always have the resources they need to succeed. Through the ARise program, we aim to provide tech entrepreneurs with the resources and expertise they need to grow and scale their businesses. We are excited to collaborate with Startup Junkie Consulting on the management of the ARise program to help tech entrepreneurs create high-tech business growth in the Natural State.\u201d - Esperanza Massana Crane, Director, AEDC\u2019s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development Division<\/p>\r\n \u201cARise reflects our vision and brand promise to help AEDC drive an increasingly bright future for Arkansas-based tech and tech-enabled ventures.\u00a0 We could not be more excited to be partnered with AEDC for this critical statewide program.\u201d\u00a0- Jeff Amerine, Co-Director at ARise & Founder and Managing Director at Startup Junkie Consulting<\/p>\r\n \u201cWe\u2019ve built the ARise program and services to fill gaps for tech and tech-enabled entrepreneurs looking to scale within our state and to open doors for those entrepreneurs within our state - we want entrepreneurs to have access to all our state has to offer including SMEs, industry partners, and other resources.\u201d - Grace Rains, Co-Director at ARise & Executive Director at Conductor<\/p>\r\n ARise - Arkansas Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs is on a mission to empower tech ventures in Arkansas to scale up, create high-wage employment opportunities, and drive world-class technological innovation throughout the state. This is a collaborative initiative funded by the Arkansas Economic Development Organization and led by Startup Junkie. ARise is dedicated to empowering tech ventures in Arkansas through consulting and coaching, capital access, a subject matter expert network, industry connections, and ecosystem resources.<\/p>\r\n For media inquiries, please contact:<\/p>\r\n Kristopher Adams, ARise Program Manager<\/p>\r\n kris@arisearkansas.org<\/a><\/p>\r\n 479-402-0036<\/p>\r\n Tyler Hale, Communications Officer<\/p>\r\n tyler.hale@arkansasedc.com<\/a><\/p>\r\n 501-410-7883<\/p>\r\n For more information about ARise, visit\u00a0arisearkansas.org<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n Follow ARise on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a> for updates and announcements.<\/p>\r\n About Arkansas Economic Development Commission<\/p>\r\n At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn\u2019t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. AEDC is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. To learn more, visit ArkansasEDC.com.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4182"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4200,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4182\/revisions\/4200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4182"}],"curies":[{"name":"\uc6cc\ub4dc\ud504\ub808\uc2a4","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}About the Startup Junkie Foundation<\/h3>\n
Event Information<\/h3>\n
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![\"ARise](\"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ARise-300x300.png\")
\r\nIntroducing ARise: Arkansas Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs<\/h1>\r\nFayetteville, Conway, and Little Rock, Ark.- June 20, 2024 -<\/strong> Arkansas's tech entrepreneurs have a new ally in their journey towards success with the launch of ARise - Arkansas Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs. A fresh and expanded iteration of the Arkansas Statewide Technology Commercialization program formerly known as Innovate Arkansas, ARise is an ambitious initiative funded by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and led by Startup Junkie, aimed at propelling tech and tech-enabled companies in Arkansas to new heights of innovation and economic vitality.\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/startupjunkie.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ARise-Startup-Junkie-Conductor-AECD-Tech-Program-1-300x200.jpg\")
\r\nMission & Vision<\/h3>\r\n
Program Services<\/h3>\r\n
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Startup Consulting and Coaching<\/h4>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
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Capital Access Navigation<\/h4>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
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Advanced Subject Matter Expert (SME) Network<\/h4>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
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Connection to Industry<\/h4>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
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Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Resources<\/h4>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
Enrollment<\/h3>\r\n
Quotes<\/h3>\r\n