ASU chief of research and innovation on keeping entrepreneurial minds in Phoenix

Here are some statistics for you to ponder:

• Arizona loses $660,000 toward economic development for each college graduate that it is unable to retain.
• Nearly $59 billion were invested by venture capitalists in U.S. companies in 2015. Arizona’s share was only $113.5 million.
• Despite improvements that have been made over the past few decades, the educational attainment gaps between white and minority students still persist.

What can we do together to keep smart, entrepreneurial and diverse college graduates in Phoenix to help them and the region thrive and innovate?  

Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan, chief research and innovation officer and executive vice president of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise, offered some detailed insight into an answer for the aforementioned, complex question in a Sunday, Feb. 21 op-ed in The Arizona Republic. In the piece, Panch argues that we are all responsible for creating the innovation that we want and invites members and organizations in the Phoenix metro area communities to work with ASU and each other to establish the region as a top innovation ecosystem. You can read the entire Arizona Republic viewpoints piece here: How to keep smart people in Phoenix