On Friday, our President and CEO Elisabeth Smith had the privilege of joining the team from the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) to ring the Closing Bell at Nasdaq in Times Square — a milestone moment for rural entrepreneurship on one of the world’s biggest financial stages.
Elisabeth stood alongside CORI Founder and CEO Matt Dunne, Board Chairperson Lee Rom, and members of the CORI board, team, and the broader Rural Innovation Network as they celebrated the rural founders bringing bold ideas to market and the rural leaders building stronger entrepreneurial ecosystems that fuel innovation across the country.
Why This Matters
CORI has spent years working to close the rural opportunity gap — helping small-town entrepreneurs access capital, build tech-enabled ecosystems, and compete on a national stage. As a manufacturer rooted in rural Pennsylvania, Acutec knows firsthand what’s possible when innovation and opportunity take root outside of major metro areas. Moments like this one put a national spotlight on that story — proving that world-changing ideas and world-class companies can be built anywhere, including in the small towns and rural communities that don’t always make the headlines.
A huge thank you to Nasdaq and the Nasdaq Foundation for creating this opportunity and shining a light on what’s already happening across rural America.
Missed It Live?
You can watch the recording here.