Steve Waters is a social entrepreneur and advocate for small businesses in distressed communities. An expert on small business ecosystem dynamics and open-source intelligence (OSINT), he is the Founder & CEO of SMB Intelligence, a mission-driven market intelligence firm based in New York City. SMB Intelligence works to advance inclusive economic growth through a stronger small business ecosystem.
As a thought leader Waters developed Prime Growth Classification, a growth-based classification standard for the North American small business sector, and the Prime Growth Approach – a nine-step model to more effectively deliver growth solutions to small businesses, particularly those in distressed & overlooked communities and with underserved owners.
The Prime Growth framework is currently in use by North America’s leading economic development agencies including Empire State Development, the California Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development and the DC Mayor’s Office, as well as Fortune 500 companies, high-growth startups, and high-impact nonprofits. The framework is also used to support research by economists at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and by students at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Waters is a member of the national Opportunity Zones Coalition, led by Economic Innovation Group, and the Fund for Our Economic Future. His work with Opportunity Zones was recently featured in Harvard’s Data-Smart City Solutions, Route Fifty and Impact Alpha.
As a thought leader Waters developed Prime Growth Classification, a growth-based classification standard for the North American small business sector, and the Prime Growth Approach – a nine-step model to more effectively deliver growth solutions to small businesses, particularly those in distressed & overlooked communities and with underserved owners.
The Prime Growth framework is currently in use by North America’s leading economic development agencies including Empire State Development, the California Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development and the DC Mayor’s Office, as well as Fortune 500 companies, high-growth startups, and high-impact nonprofits. The framework is also used to support research by economists at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and by students at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Waters is a member of the national Opportunity Zones Coalition, led by Economic Innovation Group, and the Fund for Our Economic Future. His work with Opportunity Zones was recently featured in Harvard’s Data-Smart City Solutions, Route Fifty and Impact Alpha.