As Rhode Island looks to reinvigorate its economy, the vibrancy of its startup community becomes more and more important.
The state does not have a large trove of treasure to use to entice large corporations to come here. And while the administration of Gov. Gina M. Raimondo is certainly looking to use whatever it can scrape together to leverage new private investment in the region, it is clear that if the Ocean State is to prosper, it will need to increase the number of companies that are founded and succeed here.
Fortunately, a number of the state's higher educational institutions have been stepping up their efforts to help identify and train more entrepreneurial students. It's a national trend, so to a certain degree, the local schools are making sure they don't miss that wave.
But it's more important than just keeping up with their competitors. If Rhode Island is to make advances in the coming years, much of its success will be the result of young people learning how to turn their dreams into jobs. •