Supporting Entrepreneurs in the Heartland
The Heartland Summit 2025 is a biannual extravaganza that brings together a diverse set of leaders in Bentonville, Arkansas, to share perspectives on advancing the American Heartland. Organized by Ford grantee Heartland Forward, its tagline is to “Meet in the Middle.” It does so by bringing together policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and philanthropists for frank conversations about shared challenges, strengthening connections, and creating positive action for the heartland.
Margot Brandenburg speaking with stakeholders from Buiders + Backers.
The highlight of this year’s summit, for me, was getting to meet some of the entrepreneurs who have participated in the Idea Accelerator program run by Heartland Forward in partnership with Builders + Backers. The Ford Foundation supports this work, which is why I made the trip—though, as a former entrepreneur, hearing about the journeys of start-up founders is also a personal passion. As we know, talent is well-distributed, but opportunity is not: Less than 4% of all zip codes in the United States receive venture capital investment.
Gnargo bike company received funding from Heartland Forward’s Idea Accelerator program, which Ford supports.
I had the chance to visit Builder Elysia Springer, CEO of Gnargo Bike Co. Elysia and her husband, Zach, moved to Bentonville in 2019 because of its incredible network of bike trails. They are both makers with a background in user-centered design. When COVID-19 struck the following year, the Springers retrofitted their bikes in order to haul their kids around to homeschooling activities. They started to receive requests for similar bikes from neighbors, and a company was born.
The Springers went through the Idea Accelerator program and were awarded $25k in a “Shark Tank”-style competition at the last Heartland Summit. They used the funds to purchase a jig and other equipment that allows them to retrofit abandoned steel bikes into custom-built gnarly cargo (“gnargo”) e-bikes.
Gnargo contributes to job creation in Arkansas and partners with bike shops across the country.
They moved the business from their home to a workshop and storefront. While Gnargo faces its share of challenges, from managing cash flow to navigating managing tariffs, it is on its way to being locally famous across Northwest Arkansas—due, in no small part, to the visibility Elysia and Zach received from the Builders + Backers program.
Among other things, Gnargo’s proximity to its customers accelerates the company’s ability to develop new products and features in response to customer demand. I got to see its new “Chariot Trishaw Trike,” developed so that people with disabilities can ride in comfort and style.
Elysia said that their journey has occasionally been exhausting, but that the tremendous energy and support from their community has propelled them forward. They are working on new products and customer segments and are well positioned to double production over the next year.
We talked about Elysia’s need for additional investment capital to fuel this growth. The company launched a Wefunder campaign, which allows them to crowdfund small-dollar equity investments from their network. Fortunately, there is also a growing cohort of regionally-focused investment funds, such as Ford investees REDF, that she can consider approaching for additional capital as the business scales.
Start-up businesses like Gnargo Bike Co. are critical to Heartland Forward’s mission to promote economic development and spur innovation in the Heartland. They are also an important component of Ford’s work to support better jobs, economic opportunity, and brighter futures for people and communities in the region. We can’t wait to follow the success of Elysia and Zach, and I am strongly considering buying a Gnargo bike!
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