Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
Founded in 1994 by Harvard Professor Michael Porter, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) is a nonprofit research and strategy organization and the leading authority on U.S. inner city economies and the businesses that thrive there.
Creating Urban Opportunity
ICIC's mission is to drive economic prosperity in America's inner cities through private sector investment to create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents. The organization strengthens inner city economies by providing businesses, governments, and investors with the most comprehensive and actionable information in the field about urban market opportunities. ICIC aims to:
- Promote a dynamic urban marketplace powered by diversity, creative enterprise, and untapped competitive advantages
- Determine the industry clusters with the highest market opportunity for inner city business growth and job creation
- Teach inner city businesses how to compete for capital and gain access to capital providers
- Guide financial institutions to new investment opportunities and some of the world's fastest-growing companies
- Identify critical factors for economic growth in urban environments and inform public officials about the best practices that produce the most significant effects
