Economic mobility expert and innovation strategist will ask where are we and what’s possible
EcoMap Technologies (EcoMap), a category-defining ecosystem intelligence AI software company, today announced the appointment of James Feagin as Head of Growth. In this role, the first of its kind for EcoMap, Feagin will be responsible for holistically examining sales processes and strategies to accelerate the adoption of ecosystem technology to customers across the country.
Focusing at local, regional, national and global levels, Feagin will seek to understand the pain points for EcoMap clients, analyze technology and data from a broad perspective, and then advise on which solutions are most relevant based on the customer’s needs and goals. As the company activates more EcoMaps across the country, it will unearth opportunities for ecosystem intelligence, product innovation, and community building to better support its customers.
EcoMap’s vision for growth is not just about the company but the new possibilities it can create for a global community of organizations and founders.
“Too often, those of us driven by addressing inequality, especially growing up like I did in Detroit, feel that we have to choose between social impact work and commerce,” Feagin said. “In this role, I feel like I don’t have to choose between the two but rather understand how they are fundamentally intertwined. EcoMap is on a mission to democratize access to entrepreneurship, which, when we succeed, will have a tremendous effect on inequity. We are also a business, so driving sustainability and growth is a core part of our work. This impacts the way we deliver for our clients and, ultimately, the end user.”
Feagin has extensive experience in this line of work, particularly in the Detroit area. He has spent the last two decades as a disruptor, delivering innovation, impact and equity to the fields of corporate responsibility, philanthropy, entrepreneurship and mobility. Prior to EcoMap, he served as the Chief Growth Officer at StartupTree and Director of Economic Mobility for the Gilbert Family Foundation.
Feagin is also the founder and Managing Partner at Black Bottom Ventures, a strategic firm that supports inclusive innovation strategy, where he specializes in growth strategies for founders and economic mobility for communities.
“James is a well-known, deeply connected economic mobility expert,” Sherrod Davis, co-founder and CEO of EcoMap, said. “For a new role, we needed someone who knew and understood the landscape. James brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, as well as a deep passion for the work.”
Feagin is a lifelong ecosystem builder. As a consultant and advisor in Detroit, Miami, New Orleans, and Cleveland for the last 20+ years, Feagin has evolved from implementing traditional grassroots and community organizing tactics for change to using modern-day technology and tools to deliver economic development strategies for large-scale impact.
With a proven ability to think “from the boardroom to the barbershop,” Feagin helped develop initiatives such as Motor City Match, which matched Detroit’s best businesses with the best available real estate, and NEIdeas, a program that rewarded businesses with growth grants. He also served as the founding director of Venture 313, a $10 million dollar program that sought to revolutionize how Detroit startups were funded and nurtured.
“I am passionate about democratizing access to entrepreneurship, and I have spent a lot of energy on system change to make that happen,” Feagin said. “I’ve sat in the same seats as our clients, trying to figure out ways to increase connectivity and deliver not just programming but outcomes across an ecosystem. I’m grateful to be able to pair that hands-on experience with EcoMap’s technology.”
Feagin added, “It was easy to fall in love with EcoMap’s vision, and it’s a shared dream I have for entrepreneurs everywhere. It is rare to find a work environment you thought you could only dream of. I found that in EcoMap.”
About EcoMap Technologies
EcoMap Technologies’ leading ecosystem intelligence AI software transforms the way hyperlocal information is accessed. By centralizing key resources, EcoMap unites and strengthens networks and communities by connecting them. Using configurable, data-driven platforms, their mission is to develop infrastructure that powers ecosystems to create a future where knowledge and networks have no limits, and everyone has access to sustainable and equitable growth. To learn more, visit https://www.ecomap.tech/.
