Perdue, officials to announce entrepreneurship initiative

Officials will gather Monday for the announcement of an entrepreneurship initiative aimed at supporting high-growth companies and creating jobs.

Stephen Schwarzman, chair, CEO and co-founder of The Blackstone Group, will lead an announce of the endeavor 11 a.m. at the Washington Building of the American Tobacco Campus located in downtown Durham. The initiative will take place in the Research Triangle Park region, according to a media advisory, though details of the nature of the plans remain unclear.

Other speakers at the event include: Gov. Bev Perdue; U.S. Senator Kay Hagan; U.S. Representative Brad Miller; U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra; Duke President Richard Brodhead; N.C. Central University Chancellor Charlie Nelms; North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson; and Holden Thorp, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Blackstone Charitable Foundation was founded in 2007 and coincided with the Blackstone’s initial public offering. The foundation has joined The White House to support the “Startup America” initiative, a public and private collaboration encouraging American entrepreneurship.

According to the firm’s website, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation is in the midst of a five-year, $50 million entrepreneurship initiative. The first major grant established the Blackstone LaunchPad at two colleges in the Detroit area, which helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses that will spur economic growth.