We see stuff talked about in the news all of the time. And on social. And amidst a 24-hour news cycle. And despite our best efforts, it tends to make us less and less receptive to the messages being conveyed. Which is why when one of these topics hits close to home, it seems to make it more tangible. Like student loan relief and Portland startup Nexgarden.
The co-founder and CEO of Nexgarden, a Portland, Oregon, indoor farming startup, she graduated from the University of Oregon in 2013 with just under $50,000 in student loan debt. When she launched her company in 2017, she had no idea how much that debt would tighten her operational budget and limit her access to capital–most recently, preempting her from obtaining a $100,000 bank loan to help Nexgarden grow its production capabilities.
For more, read about the concept of student loan forgiveness and its potential impact on entrepreneurship in Inc.
[Full disclosure: Nexgarden is a PIE alum. I am the cofounder and general manager of PIE.]