Make Startups, the entrepreneurial training program by theClubhou.se, will be facilitating a three-day event, next month, geared toward bringing businesses together.
Startup Champions Network (SCN), headquartered in Dallas, is an organization that specializes in supporting what it refers to as “ecosystem builders,” that is, entrepreneurs and others — such as academics, government officials and business leaders — inclined toward collaboration and developing mutually beneficial systems.
SCN does this via several programs and courses, aimed at highlighting best practices, discussing various issues germane to the interests of business owners, fostering networking, and serving as live case studies.
The organization’s signature event is its twice-annual Startup Champions Network Summit, a three conference that gathers local and national examples of these ecosystem builders. This year, Make Startups will host the fall 2025 Summit in Augusta.
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“Hosting the SCN Summit is about more than just learning — it’s about bringing ecosystem builders together to test ideas, find solutions, and spark connections that will ripple far beyond Augusta,” said Eric Parker, co-founder with Grace Belangia of Make Startups and theClubhou.se. “We’re also showcasing how communities like Augusta can be both a testing ground and a launchpad for inclusive, sustainable entrepreneurship.”
The summit will include workshops, “ecosystem tours,” and networking sessions. It will also feature talks by speakers such as Aanu Gopald, founder of the Africa Agility Foundation, Chad Reese, senior policy advisor at the Institute for Justice’s Cities Work project, and Andy Stoll, head of the ESHIP Alliance, a nonprofit that supports efforts by entrepreneurs to build strong ecosystems.
Congressman Rick Allen is slated to feature during the Summit’s day dedicated to addressing public policy and entrepreneurship, as well as the Center for American Entrepreneurship. The day will entail a State Caucus Breakfast where dignitaries from throughout the region will discuss policy issues that impact small businesses.
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“It’s important for our country and our democracy to understand where job creation comes from. And entrepreneurship is at the center of that,” said Belangia. “Hosting this Summit here allows us to showcase both the spirit of innovation and the collaborative culture that define our ecosystem.”
The Augusta SCN Summit, with the theme of Open Invitations—a riff on golf’s special place in Augusta’s local culture — will go from Nov. 5 – 7. For more information visit www.startupchampions.co/augustasummit.
