Where did you get your coffee today? Where did pick up your dry cleaning? Where did you drop your children off for childcare? Where did you get the new app you downloaded? The answer--probably a small business in America. I could even ask--where are you employed?--and 71 percent of you would probably answer that you are employed by a small business.
Entrepreneurs are the engine driving innovation and the world's economy through small business. Throughout National Small Business Week (NSBW)--Dell, Microsoft, Northside Media Group, and WeWork are dreaming big to celebrate the irreplaceable ways that entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses are getting you through your day and even changing the world.
More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the United States each year. Helping small and medium businesses scale and prosper has always been a passion for me, but also a priority for Dell where I am the entrepreneur-in-residence.
Last year during NSBW, Dell announced a partnership with Northside Media Group to celebrate and support emerging innovation for small businesses. Northside Media, a startup born in Brooklyn and founded by brothers Scott and Daniel Stedman, publishes the L Magazine, Brooklyn Magazine, and organizes events like the Northside Festival, an annual eight-day summer showcase celebrating emerging music, film, food, ideas and entrepreneurship in Brooklyn. The festival is also home to Northside Innovation Meetups.
This year, we're thrilled to announce the continuation of our partnership with WeWork and the launch of the Dell Technology Labs, which will be debuting at three WeWork locations across the country. These Tech Labs will be housed in WeWork Penn Station, WeWork Grant Park and WeWork Lincoln Road, raising awareness and driving consideration for Dell products and solutions developed for small businesses.
Each Technology Lab will be open for the month of May and WeWork members will have the opportunity to check out the latest and greatest Dell technology, test their apps on Windows devices, borrow equipment for extended periods of time and purchase systems directly. Sales associates manning the Technology Labs will also be educating members on new tech, such as Windows 10 for business, VR applications and Cloud transitioning.
The launches this week coincide with a series of Northside Innovation Small Business Meetups in New York, Chicago and Miami, held at the WeWork locations housing the Dell Tech Labs. These meetups are part of a series that covers a wide range of tech topics, spanning from VC funding to the psychology of marketing to the next wave of branded content.
Dell believes technology and entrepreneurs create a powerful combination that will lift the next billion people out of poverty, educate the next billion students, heal the next billion patients and create the next billion jobs.
Since our founding more than 30 years ago, Dell has continuously embraced the principles of innovation and entrepreneurship. Back then we changed the way people bought PCs, and we're still changing the industry today by helping people become more efficient, more connected, more informed and more secure. We continue to promote entrepreneurship by providing technology, funding, forums, and expertise to foster innovation and bring new ideas to market more quickly.
Next time you pick up your coffee, drop off your kid or maybe even get a new job, recognize the unique contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners because we truly could not do it without them!