Elevate Rapid City

THE BLACK HILLS DEEP UNDERGROUND FRONTIER STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM WILL DEVELOP A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK TO LEVERAGE THE REGION?S PHYSICAL ASSETS, INDUSTRY CAPACITY, AND RESEARCH CAPABILITIES TO ADVANCE AUTONOMOUS MINING EQUIPMENT AND UNDERGROUND TECHNOLOGY.

ELEVATE RAPID CITY'S MISSION IS TO ELEVATE THE RAPID CITY REGION, MAKING IT A THRIVING HUB FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. FORMED IN 2018 THROUGH A MERGER OF KEY ENTITIES, ELEVATE AIMS TO FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CREATE A VIBRANT ECOSYSTEM FOR STARTUPS AND TECH COMPANIES.ELEVATE STEMPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM OF THE BLACK HILLS, AIMS TO ENHANCE THE EXISTING ECOSYSTEM BY PROVIDING CONSULTING SERVICES AND MENTORSHIP TO STEM ENTREPRENEURS IN THE REGION. BY ADDRESSING THE GUIDANCE AND RESOURCE GAPS FACED BY EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS, ELEVATE SEEKS TO SPUR THE GROWTH OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES, FOSTERING JOB CREATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.THE PROGRAM TARGETS STARTUPS GRADUATING FROM WILDFIRE LABS, THE REGION'S SOFTWARE ACCELERATOR, AND SD MINES ALUMNI, AS WELL AS EARLY-STAGE TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS. ELEVATE PLANS TO RECRUIT 30 PARTICIPANTS AND 5-6 MENTORS FOR CEO TRAINING SESSIONS, PROVIDING PERSONALIZED SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES. THE DESIRED OUTCOMES OF THE PROGRAM INCLUDE DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL SYSTEM, CREATING A RESOURCE NAVIGATION SITE FOR STARTUPS, AND FOSTERING THE CREATION OF FIVE NEW TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE MEASURED BY FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS, SITE USAGE, AND THE SUSTAINED GROWTH OF STARTUPS.ULTIMATELY, ELEVATE STEMPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM OF THE BLACK HILLS IS POISED TO DRIVE INNOVATION, CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STARTUPS, AND POSITION RAPID CITY AS A DYNAMIC TECH HUB WITHIN THE REGION, SHAPING A PROMISING FUTURE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ECONOMIC GROWTH.