At IEDC 2026 in New Orleans, CloudOffix CEO Gokhan Erdogdu will show how connected data helps economic development organizations measure their impact.
CloudOffix, an AI-native business operations platform, will participate in the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans, taking place October 25–28. CloudOffix Founder and CEO Gokhan Erdogdu will lead a Learning Lab on October 26 focused on the infrastructure that can help economic development authorities (EDAs) and entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) connect their work, support businesses, and report outcomes with confidence.
AI can help organizations do more with the information they have, but it depends on reliable, connected data and processes.”
— Gokhan Erdogdu, Founder and CEO of CloudOffix.
Titled “From Programs to Proof: Building AI-Ready Infrastructure for Economic Development and Entrepreneur Support,” the session will take place from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. CT in Elite Hall. It will explore how organizations can connect the full business support journey—from initial outreach and applications to programs, mentoring, follow-up, and impact reporting.
Economic development organizations often coordinate a broad range of activities, including business attraction, business retention and expansion, site selection, incentives, workforce initiatives, and grants. Some EDAs also operate or support an ESO that delivers programs and services to entrepreneurs. For example, the Howard County Economic Development Authority is home to the Maryland Innovation Center, which supports entrepreneurs and startups. While this relationship exists in some communities, not every EDA has an ESO within its organization.
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Across these activities, information may be spread across websites, application systems, program tools, and spreadsheets. This can make it difficult to maintain a continuous view of the businesses being served and to report outcomes consistently. Boards, funders, and other stakeholders may ask for results such as jobs created, capital raised, revenue growth, companies graduated, or progress across economic development programs—information that can be difficult to assemble and verify when systems are disconnected.
“AI can help organizations do more with the information they have, but it depends on reliable, connected data and processes,” said Gokhan Erdogdu, Founder and CEO of CloudOffix. “We’ll discuss how economic development organizations and entrepreneur support teams can build a clearer picture of their work and its outcomes, while keeping people involved where judgment and oversight matter.”
The Learning Lab will use CloudOffix’s work with EDAs and ESOs as a practical example of how connected workflows can support the full lifecycle of economic development and entrepreneur support. For EDAs, these workflows can include site selection, incentives, workforce programs, grants, and organization-specific processes. For ESOs, they can include memberships, mentor hours, room bookings, sponsorships, program applications, cohorts, and founder support.
Participants will also explore how organizations can maintain ongoing records of the businesses they serve, collect outcome information, and prepare year-over-year reporting for stakeholders. The session will discuss where AI can assist today, where human oversight remains essential, and what organizations need to establish before AI can deliver meaningful value.
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