Entrepreneurs building entrepreneurs
Building Businesses,
People, and Possibility
echo is a third space in downtown Durham where small business owners and entrepreneurs learn, earn, and invest in one another. Partner in the work, join the community, or bring your event to our space.
Sponsor · Become a member · Rent · 404 Hunt St., Downtown Durham
Why echo
The Growth Is Real. So Is the Gap.
Not symbolic participation. A working economy.
echo's Entrepreneurs Building Entrepreneurs model
The Triangle's economy is booming, but the benefits aren't shared equally. Founders from historically overlooked communities face higher barriers to capital, thinner networks, and support that is often transactional and short-lived. Young people in those same neighborhoods rarely find paid, real-world paths into leadership and ownership.
echo closes that gap by starting with community. Teens intern with adult founders. Founders mentor and hire teens. Membership fees and earned revenue go back into the community as stipends, grants, and paid contracts. Whether you partner, join, or rent our space, your support stays in Durham and keeps working.
Tailored Learning: cohorts, labs, and workshops for every stage, from teens exploring ideas to adults growing established businesses.
Trusted Relationships: near-peer mentorship, founder circles, and a culture where asking for help is expected.
Access to Capital: stipends, grants, contracts, and open doors.
404 HUNT ST. · DOWNTOWN DURHAM
A Third Space Built for Building
Support first, space second. A community center where entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners work side by side. Free parking for members in Downtown Durham.
THREE WAYS IN
Choose How You Build With Us
Fund the model, join the community, or host your next gathering at echo. Every path puts capital back into Durham's entrepreneurs and young people.
FOR COMPANIES & PARTNERS
Become a Partner
From $500 / 2026 Partnerships
Underwrite a working economy where teens and founders learn, earn, and invest in one another. Six levels, from powering the room to anchoring the model.
Six levels, from $500 to $50,000
Every level funds a specific part of the model
Corporate gifts invoiced directly
ACH, wire, check, DAF grant, stock, or matching gifts
Invoice, W-9, and agreement within two business days
FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Become a Member
$97 / month or start free
One membership with everything included. Consistent support, deeper learning, and a community that helps you follow through.
Free parking at 404 Hunt St.
EBE Huddles and Expert Champions
Two 60-minute EBE Boost advisory sessions a month
Pitch & Prosper, Community Spotlight, and The Audacity podcast
Member pricing on workshops, the Incubator, and space rental
Month to month, cancel anytime
FOR ORGANIZATIONS & EVENTS
Rent Our Space
From $60 / hour · members save up to 50%
Host your meeting, workshop, training, or community event in downtown Durham. Your rental fee supports echo's work with young people and founders.
Conference / Workshop Space and Community Space
Podcast and Media Studios
Hourly, half-day, and full-day rates
Members save about 50% on most rates
Mission-aligned pricing for youth-serving organizations
Downtown Durham location
2026 PARTNERSHIPS
Choose what you want to make possible
Community Table
$500
You power the room itself: open doors, shared tables, belonging.
Founding Friends
$1,000
You fund one founder's next step: tools, coaching, momentum.
Prosperity Partners
$2,500
You underwrite tailored learning, from teen labs to founder cohorts.
Community Champions
$5,000
You expand mentorship and the connectors who unlock capital.
Legacy Builders
$25,000
You fuel the circular economy of youth and adults.
Visionary Ally
$50,000
You anchor the model here, and make it portable beyond Durham.
Giving $5,000 or more, or sponsoring as a company?
Most corporate gifts don't run through online forms. We'll invoice your organization directly and accept ACH, wire, check, DAF grant, stock, or matching gifts. Email your level, company name, billing contact, and mailing address to [email protected]. Your invoice, W-9, and agreement follow within two business days.
ECHO MEMBERSHIP
One Membership. Everything Included.
No tiers and no upgrades to unlock later. You pay based on who you're building with, and you get everything from day one.
Solo
$97/month
One founder, one business
Duo
$155/month
Two founders on the same venture
Corporate
$300/month
Companies investing in their people and their ecosystem
Youth Organization
$150/month
Non-profits serving young people
What's included
Free parking
EBE Huddles
Two 60-minute EBE Boost advisory sessions a month
The Learning Library
The member directory
Priority program access and entry to Pitch & Prosper
A Community Spotlight placement on echo's website
A spot on The Audacity podcast,
Member pricing on Workshops and the Incubator, and
Discounted space rental.
Bought separately in the Triangle, this bundle runs about $480 a month. At echo it's $97.
Not ready to pay? Join the echo Community for free. You get resources, events, and updates.
Want to try first? Spend a day with us for $25. If you join within seven days, it's credited toward your first month.
Questions: [email protected]
RENT OUR SPACE
Host Your Next Gathering at echo
Meetings, workshops, trainings, and community events, below market rate in Downtown Durham
Conference Room
Seats 12 with projection. Built for board meetings and pitch practice, but just as good for a strategy retreat, a book club, or a fantasy football draft.
Training/Workshop Room
Seats 12 with in-room tech. Run a training or class, or get hands-on: a vision-board night, a sneaker-customizing class, a résumé clinic, or a teen coding jam.
Community Space
About 3,000 sq. ft of open, flexible space. Host a pop-up market, product launch party, film screening, open mic, or family game night, with a catering kitchen on-site.
Podcast Recording Studio
Up to four people, with four mics, studio headphones, lighting, and RØDE Connect. Record your podcast, a radio-style interview, a family oral history, or a voiceover demo.
Free Parking · SmartBoards and Speakers · Catering Kitchen · On-site Security
Youth-serving organizations: ask us about mission-aligned pricing before you book.
Questions: [email protected]
IN THEIR WORDS
Stories From Inside echo
Founders, teens, partners, and neighbors on what happens when a community invests in itself.
"Before the innovation wing opened, our after-school robotics team worked out of a damp church basement. Having dedicated studio equipment changed how seriously we took our own potential."
Maya Lin
Youth STEM Fellow · Class of '25
"Enterprise donors often buy plaques. Lumina sponsors built a sanctuary. When kids know corporate leaders invested in their neighborhood directly, their self-worth skyrockets."
Marcus Vance
Civic Anchor & Mentor Lead
"We went from a 34% post-secondary completion rate to 89% in two cohorts. Capital deployed with radical proximity produces compounding human returns."
Dr. Elena Rostova
Academic Pathways Director
"I secured seed funding for my accessibility startup right at the community presentation stage. This place is not a charity warehouse—it is a launchpad."
Tariq Al-Mansoor
Founder, VoiceFlow Accessibility
Possibility Is Built Together. Build It With Us.
Invest capital as a partner, join a community of founders, or bring your people to our space. Every path builds businesses, people, and possibility in the Triangle.
Not sure where you fit? Let's start the conversation
echo is a non-profit organization transforming lives through entrepreneurship.
The Triangle region of North Carolina is experiencing a booming economy, but many aspiring and active business owners lack the networks, resources, and funding that grow ideas into life-altering realities. echo changes that.
Community Center
404 Hunt Street, Suite 500,
27701, Durham, NC
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