E3 Durham

From sharing his passion for AI at to launching his own AI startup designed to help small businesses tell their stories, E3 Durham provided Keenan Smith with more than just a platform; it reignited his entrepreneurial spirit.

💬 “E3 gave me my first opportunity to speak… now my co-founder and I are working on an AI startup.”


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Para Mariana Hernández Valencia, descubrir E3 Durham comenzó con algo muy sencillo: escuchar a alguien hablar español y darse cuenta de que existía un espacio que realmente comprendía a emprendedores como ella.

Desde sus primeras conversaciones hasta su participación en sesiones como Third Thursdays, Mariana encontró mucho más que recursos: encontró una comunidad. Halló flexibilidad, apoyo genuino y personas a las que podía acudir en distintas etapas de su camino como emprendedora.

Lo que más le sorprendió fue saber que el acompañamiento no era igual para todos. Ya fuera que estuviera comenzando, trabajando en sus metas o afinando su contenido y redes sociales, E3 le ofrecía un apoyo adaptado al momento que estaba viviendo.

Su experiencia nos recuerda que el ecosistema adecuado crece contigo y crea espacio tanto para tu vida como para tus metas.

Victor Ize-Iyamu of shares how the LevTech Accelerator, powered by and , helped transform his dry cleaning business not just with tools like new software and equipment, but by giving him something even more powerful: a community.

This month, we're shining a light on some of the organizations at the heart of Durham’s entrepreneurial growth.

The is made up of local Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) working together to empower small business owners through connection, collaboration, and community-led solutions. Each week throughout February, we’ll be spotlighting these powerful partners, sharing their stories, impact, and how they’re building stronger support systems for Durham’s entrepreneurs.

First up: Cities

A national nonprofit, Forward Cities brings ecosystem builders from within and across communities together to learn from and with one another, acquire effective new tools and strategies, and test promising models and approaches designed to generate new insights.

As a member of the Durham E3 Alliance, Forward Cities is joining local organizations in identifying strengths, addressing gaps, and launching bold new initiatives that make a real difference.

📍 Based in Durham. Impacting communities nationwide. Learn more about Forward Cities by visiting www.forwardcities.org.

Stay tuned all month long as we highlight the changemakers behind the movement.



E3 Alliance Members: .entrepreneurs, , , , , , ,

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