President Obama presented a national innovation strategy in September 2009 with a call to action to increase innovation in order to propel sustainable economic growth and create high quality jobs. Of particular importance to this strategy is the focus on the role of high-growth small businesses. At the May 2010 Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, President Obama called entrepreneurship ‘‘the most powerful force the world has ever known for creating opportunity.’’

In response, the Small Business Administration published a Request for Information (RFI) on Entrepreneurial Mentoring and Education in the Federal Register on June 10, 2010.