UEDA hosted its very first webinar for its newly established DEI Affinity Network in addition to UEDA’s current Talent, Innovation and Place Affinity Networks. The DEI Affinity network will build from the American Resilience & Equity Networks Initiative (ARENI) council, a previous UEDA program that provided structure for region-to-region collaboration on resilience and equity issues and institutions through regular convenings, online forums, and resource libraries. Presenters at the inaugural webinar were the winners of the 2023 UEDA Awards of Excellence in the DEI Category, the Black Capital Study + Projects (BCS+P) team affiliated with the University of North Iowa. The BCS+P team provided a deeper insight toward their work and entrepreneurial DEI efforts as a whole.