The 2018 Cox Corporate Social Responsibility Report CEI_2018_CSR_Report | Page 9

Cultivating
Innovation
Cox fosters innovation not only inside the
organization through its strategic investments
and new product development, but also outside
in the greater community. In 2015, Cox announced
a partnership with Techstars®, the internationally
recognized accelerator that boosts entrepreneurs’
early-stage business and product development
efforts through focused education, mentorship
and funding.
In 2017, Cox joined other regional corporate
leaders in creating an $18 million independent
accelerator fund called Engage Ventures. Its
goal: to build a collaborative environment to
support entrepreneurs and startups through
financing, mentoring and education. Engage
identifies best-in-class startups and helps them
scale their business model and market strategy.
Since its inception, Engage has worked with
24 startups in fields as diverse as blockchain to
human resources and supply chain technologies.
Creating a Buzz in Our
Own Backyard
Employee engagement, environmental
education, innovative venture capital
investment — it all comes together through
our partnership with Bee Downtown and
the installation of four honey bee hives
at Cox’s Atlanta campus. Bee Downtown
is part of the Engage Ventures portfolio
and partners with businesses in cities to
collaboratively help rebuild healthy honey
bee populations — a critical link in the
agricultural chain. Each of the four campus
hives is designed and named for Cox’s
different divisions, and they’re accessible
to employees who can learn more about
the vital ecological role honey bees play —
and Cox’s commitment to environmental
sustainability.

Cox Enterprises, Inc. 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
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