PRESS RELEASE: Macon-Bibb Entrepreneur Ecosystem Project Launches Community Effort to Connect Local Entrepreneurs with the Support They Need

MBT Collective is leading a human-centered design initiative to interconnect resources, surface challenges, and understand the gaps facing businesses across every zip code and industry

MACON, Ga. — October 12, 2026 — Macon-Bibb is full of entrepreneurs, and full of organizations working hard to support them. Too often, though, those resources are at different intersections, and entrepreneurs have a hard time navigating where to turn. The Macon-Bibb Entrepreneur Ecosystem Project (MBEEP), led by MBT Collective, is working to change that.

MBEEP is a community initiative to better connect Macon-Bibb's entrepreneurial ecosystem. It links existing resources so they work together, creates space for entrepreneurs and support organizations to talk honestly about the challenges they face, and uses research to understand where the gaps are. The work is aimed at businesses across every zip code and every industry in Macon-Bibb. It starts by listening to entrepreneurs about what is and isn't working for them.

"What would it look like if every entrepreneur in Macon-Bibb, in every zip code and at every stage of business, knew exactly what their next step was?" said Christele Parham, Executive Director of MBT Collective. "That's the question driving this work. We're not building this for the community. We're building it with the community. Before we design any solution, we want to understand what entrepreneurs in every part of Macon-Bibb are actually experiencing."

Grounded in human-centered design

MBEEP uses a human-centered design approach. Entrepreneurs and support organizations help shape the work from the beginning, and their own words drive the decisions rather than assumptions about what they need. The project is organized around three connected parts:

• People: The Macon-Bibb Innovation Alliance, a growing coalition of entrepreneurs, support organizations, government, educational institutions, and private-sector partners. Members share what they know, make warm referrals to one another, and work through challenges together.

• Platform: A shared resource platform co-designed with entrepreneurs and Alliance members. It will help connect people to the right support at the right time. The platform is still being built, and community input is shaping every step.

• Events: Convenings, roundtables and community gatherings where trust is built, challenges are surfaced and the ecosystem comes together in person.

Learning where the gaps are

Through roundtables, convenings and one-on-one conversations, MBEEP is gathering research on where entrepreneurs get stuck. That includes which industries and neighborhoods have strong support, which have little, and what it takes to start a business and keep it going in Macon-Bibb. What the project learns will guide how the platform is built and where collective energy is focused.

Get involved

MBEEP is supported by the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN) and the Knight Foundation.

There are two ways to get involved:

• Entrepreneurs can share where they are and what they need through the MBEEP self-referral form: https://airtable.com/appKUyzYBMxaOECUO/pagvZIZkV5B7jRgXp/form

• Organizations interested in joining the Macon-Bibb Innovation Alliance can complete the Alliance interest form: https://airtable.com/appHvXsUTgZYfpWZ1/pagnq7dk5g7Jm3Bip/form

To learn more, visit mbtcollective.org.

About MBT Collective

MBT Collective is a Macon-based nonprofit strengthening the infrastructure that helps local entrepreneurs start, sustain and scale. Through research, data, and community programming, MBT Collective works to close gaps in access to resources across Macon-Bibb County.

Media Contact

Christele Parham, Executive Director, MBT Collective

cparham@mbtcollective.org | mbtcollective.org