Joe Kapp

Joe Kapp is a serial entrepreneur, the President and Cofounder of the National Center for Resource Development (NCRD), an NGO that helps organizations achieve greater impact by more effectively executing their goals by applying entrepreneurial principles. Kapp has coached countless clients on growing their funding streams, helping them raise millions of dollars.  Kapp works with select clients to identify innovative, new resources and create effective partnerships that create long-term value.  In 2024 Kapp was named Chairman of the board of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

 

Profiled in the Washington Post Magazine for his leadership in entrepreneurship, Kapp works internationally coaching businesses, entrepreneurs and communities on innovation ecosystem development.  In 2022, Kapp was asked to present at the United Nations General Assembly  Science Summit and has worked across the globe with startups and communities including in countries Including: Armenia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Colombia, Russia, Eswatini and the Netherlands, to name a few.

 

In 2016, the United States Department of Commerce appointed Kapp to the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In partnership with various foundations and funders like the Kauffman Foundation and the AARP Foundation, Kapp has also launched a number of United States entrepreneurial ecosystem initiatives including National Entrepreneurship Week and RuralRISE, which focus on entrepreneurship development and increasing access to resources and opportunities for all Americans.

 

Kapp started and sold his first business in college.  He has over 30 years business expertise having advised companies like GE, Johnson & Johnson, SKG, Glaxo, and other Fortune 500 corporations on the adoption and implementation of innovative salesforce, marketing and business automation technologies. Kapp is also a successful real estate investor, has also started numerous successful ventures and built a financial services firm, where he advised hundreds of small businesses and high net worth families on creating wealth and protecting assets.  Kapp is the co-founder of  LGBT Tech, a nonprofit that develops programs and resources that support LGBTQ+ communities and educates organizations and policy makers on the unique needs LGBTQ+ individuals face when it comes to technology.

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Kapp has also served as a columnist writing extensively on resource development, entrepreneurship, and financial planning for a host of national media outlets. Recently Kapp contributed a chapter to the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank’s book called Investing in Rural Prosperity. Kapp has been quoted by numerous media outlets from the Associated Press, AARP, the Washington Business Journal, the Washington Times, and Investment News, among others. Kapp is a dynamic and sought-after keynote speaker, having presented at numerous conferences and events across the globe.

 

Kapp holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Government Administration and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Florida State University.  When not working, Kapp enjoys traveling, scuba diving and photography.