Funding for Black Women Entrepreneurs

Dr. Cameka Smith, founder and CEO of The BOSS Network, announces the return of her organization’s 2nd annual BOSS Impact Fund. The Fund focuses on investing in Black women led businesses and preparing these entrepreneurs to build scalable, growth aggressive companies. Its goal is to raise investment funding for 500+ Black women entrepreneurs over the next three years.

Learn more about $500K in funding for black women entrepreneurs.

Making Success Possible For Women Entrepreneurs

Black women are entering entrepreneurship at rates that have not been seen before. Corporate America as well as government and philanthropic entities have taken note of this trend, and there is more support available for women founders than before. In general, women-owned businesses are on the rise, and much of America’s current startup boom is due to women starting businesses.

How can we collectively make even more women entrepreneurs successful?  

Maija Renko, professor and Coleman Chair of Entrepreneurship in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at DePaul University's Richard H. Driehaus College of Business, says "Appreciation for women entrepreneurs starts by talking about the very things their businesses provide—not focusing on old systems and structures that exclude them. Chicago can be the city that leads this conversation and innovates solutions that make success possible for even more women entrepreneurs."

Read the entire Opinion piece in Crain's Chicago Business:  How to Support Women Entrepreneurs

Related to women entrepreneurs, support and Chicago, next week we unveil a game changing new app invented and launched by two Chicago women entrepreneurs.  Stay tuned because we are about to make your shopping experience a breeze via the #cartdropmethod.

MLK: Remember Not Just a Man, But a Leader, a Believer and a High Achiever

During MLK weekend, let us remember not just a man but a leader, a believer, as well as a high achiever. Some say dreams come true, and Dr King’s “I Have A Dream” speech’s words ring loud in our bodies, minds, and spirits to this day as we look around in our home, our lives, our communities, and our hearts.

Read more here.  Also, visit, The White House:  A Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2023.

Business Start-Ups Get a Leg Up from University of Chicago and Tulane University

The University of Chicago and Tulane University have both recently announced they are establishing new funding mechanisms to provide investment capital that will support business start-ups.

The University of Chicago is setting aside $25 million from its endowment to invest in business startups led by faculty, students, staff and alumni. The $25 million is intended for companies that are raising Series A funding.

At Tulane University, the focus of the new start-up fund is not restricted to university faculty or staff. Instead, its Innovation Institute, founded last year, will dedicate a $10 million startup fund for New Orleans-area women and minority entrepreneurs, two groups that have historically had to overcome obstacles to their ability to attract the new capital necessary to start businesses.

Read:  Tulane, University of Chicago Allocate Millions to Support New Start-Ups