The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is thrilled to announce new funding from Cisco’s Global Impact Grant program to launch the Rural Insights Hub: a first-of-its-kind digital platform designed to connect rural leaders, learners, and founders nationwide to the actionable intelligence and capabilities required to build resilient local economies.

For too long, data about rural innovation, workforce trends, and access to capital has been fragmented or invisible. Meanwhile, rural entrepreneurs and communities continue to face structural barriers, from limited tech training opportunities to geographic isolation from capital networks. The Rural Insights Hub changes that.

“The Rural Insights Hub will equip leaders with actionable intelligence, empower learners with in-demand digital skills, and connect founders to the capital, customers, and mentorship needed to grow from anywhere,” said Danielle Samalin, CORI’s Chief Growth Officer. “Thanks to Cisco’s partnership, we’re building the digital backbone for rural innovation.”

By integrating CORI’s research, mapping, and data analytics with its growing Rural Innovation Network, the Hub will create the connective infrastructure rural America has needed, helping communities translate information into opportunity and opportunity into measurable impact. 

In addition to its own comprehensive research and data sets on rural economies and quality of life, CORI will be partnering with Rural LISC, Resource Rural, and Partners for Rural Impact on this effort, with Partners for Rural Impact shaping the integration of cradle-to-career and K–12 data sets and Rural LISC and Resource Rural advising on the use of the platform by local planners and decision makers. Together, these partnerships ensure the Hub provides meaningful, multidimensional insights for communities nationwide.

Together with Cisco and partners like Rural LISC, Resource Rural, Partners for Rural Impact, and CORI’s 40+ Rural Innovation Network communities, CORI is building infrastructure designed for – and with – rural America.

“Digital inclusion means more than connectivity,” said Charu Adesnik, Executive Director, Cisco Foundation, and Director, Social Impact and Innovation Investments, Cisco Systems Inc., “It means access to insights, talent pathways, and opportunity. CORI’s Rural Insights Hub embodies that vision, and we’re honored to support its development.”

mockup of Rural Insights Hub
Mockup of Rural Insights Hub

The Hub will bring together three interconnected engines:

  • Rural Leadership Intelligence: Actionable dashboards and analytics to help local leaders plan and invest strategically.
  • Tech Talent and Learner Platform: Expanding CORI’s Rural Tech Collective to train thousands in AI and digital skills.
  • Founder and Startup Connectivity: Tools that connect rural entrepreneurs to mentors, accelerators, and investors.

Phase 1, powered by Cisco’s Global Impact Grant, funds the design and prototype of the Hub, creating the foundation for a national digital infrastructure that will help rural America lead in the AI era.

Since 2020, CORI and its partners have helped launch 400 startups, create 1,000 tech jobs, and secure over $238 million for local innovation within a national Rural Innovation Network reaching more than 40 communities in 25 states. The Rural Insights Hub will scale that success.