Small Business Funding

Meet the KKR Small Business Builders Grant Recipients

August 10, 2021
10 min read

A local healthcare provider, a children’s gym, and a comedy club: These are just a few of the hundreds of businesses represented among the first five rounds of recipients from the KKR Small Business Builders program.

Created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program includes a $10,000 grant, mentoring and coaching opportunities with KKR employees, as well as resources and online community through Hello Alice. Small businesses in countries around the world are eligible, with preference given to those pivoting in response to the pandemic or providing vital community services.

Two of the most recent recipients of this program are Dionne Presinal and Kerry Donegan, the co-founders and co-presidents of Bronx Yoga Lab. Founded as the Bronx’s only hot yoga studio in January 2020, the two women struggled to keep the business afloat after the pandemic forced them to close their studio space for a year.

“The margins in the yoga industry are much smaller than many would expect,” they explain. “Due to the amount of space needed for a proper studio and recruiting/maintaining highly qualified teachers, the overhead costs to run a studio are often overwhelming. The amount of work behind the scenes to keep a studio running smoothly, build a supportive culture, and meet overhead costs often looks seamless and easy, but actually requires constant nurturing, dedication, and hard work that are not always visible.”

They say the $10,000 grant puts them in a strong financial position to make up for lost revenue and continue offering vital health and wellness resources to the Bronx.

Still, KKR and Hello Alice recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and the road to recovery is long. In response, our partners at KKR have pledged an additional $1.5 million to support small businesses with additional rounds of grant funding.

“KKR is honored to expand our partnership with Hello Alice and GEN Global to continue supporting small businesses as they recover and build resiliency,” said Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall, co-presidents and co-chief operating officers of KKR. “We plan to continue our KKR Relief Effort programs to spur global economic recovery and nurture the high-impact organizations and businesses playing a critical role in rebuilding and strengthening our communities.”   

You can check out the full list of Round 1 – 6 recipients below, and subscribe to the Hello Alice newsletter to stay up-to-date on current programs and funding opportunities!

Round 6 Recipients

Amanda Gilchrist

Designed By Purpose Counseling & Consulting | Aiken, SC

Anietra LaBranche

The Inferno Barre and Dance Studio | Chicago, IL

Antoine Hutchinson

Fabpro Technologies | Baltimore, MD

Candice Norris

Shabu Plus | Washington, D.C.

Chantel Bratcher-Coleman

Shaping Minds Therapy | Newark, DE

Cheing Winston

Personfinances4us | Baltimore, MD

Cindy Graham

Brighter Hope Wellness Center | Clarksville, MD

Sandra Griffiths

Yoga Angels | Beverly Hills, CA

Debra Stirone

Gourmet Goodies | Mendon, NY

Deep Patel

OCA Mocha | Arbutus, MD

Deuene Hickman

Quality of Life Counseling Center | Hampton, VA

Faryal Rohail

WASE | London, United Kingdom

Huan Sun

Catonsville Happy Feet | Catonsville, MD

Jauvon Gilliam

Capitol Percussion + Backline Rentals | Riverdale, MD

Joel Cosme, Jr.

Community Grounds Coffee & Meeting House | Columbus, OH

Jon Renthrope

Cajun Fire Brewing Company | New Orleans, LA

Joseph Burgess

Queer Bar | Seattle, WA

Kathy Jo Miller Taylor

KJ’s Cakery Bakery | Kent, WA

Kelly Smith

Minni | Boston MA

Kenneth Ekechukwu

Axo Rock Kitchen & Lounge | El Paso TX

Lesia Daniel

Funtime Preschool of Clinton | Clinton, MS

Lisamarie Smith

Carpe Bleu’s Catering | Sacramento, CA

Lois Baker

Sweet Sosumba Vegan Cafe | Washington, D.C.

Means Cameron

blaCk Coffee Lounge | Cincinnati, OH

Melissa Eisner

Coffee Bandits | Merced, CA

Meredith Kaunitz

Art. Play. Learn. | Bowie, MD

Michael Bailey

Industry Soundz | Blue Springs, MO

Ming Thompson

Atelier Cho Thompson | New Haven, CT

Natalie Salinas

Olde Madrid | Racine, WI

Nathaniel DeMont

DeMont Guitars | Oswego, IL

Nicole Davidson

Batter Bar | Lynchburg, VA

Noel Davis

Paris Fit Studios | Philadelphia, PA

Nyshia Cook

NC Music Center | Charlotte, NC

Patrick Schnettler

12 Tides | San Francisco, CA

Perrin Chipouras

Orange Poppy Spa | Boulder, CO

Scott Proctor

East Side Pot Shop | Austin, TX

Shaunya Noble

Pastaholics | Lithia Springs, GA

Ticora Elaine Davis

The Creator’s Law Firm | Charlotte, NC

Tiffany Perkins

Plant Perks | Missoula, MT

Michael Davis

Good Vibes | Country Club Hills, IL

Twyla Grider

Stellar Creative Collective | Union City, NJ

Tyrell Timpson

Macon Progress Basketball | Beaverton, OR

Ulysses Marcelino

Excel Taekwondo Center | Canoga Park, CA

Uzonna Mkparu

Sun Group Energy | Seekonk, MA

Venus Barratt

The Wellness Kitchen of Warrenton, VA | Warrenton, VA

Vinessa Dickson

The Star Look | Decatur, GA

Willie Robinson

Chi-Town Cuts and Fades | Los Angeles, CA

Rounds 4 and 5 Recipients

Jessica Adnani

Personalized Solutions | Scottsdale, AZ

Bakeer Al Mateen

Pen & Chisel Real Estate | Baltimore, MD

Stephanie Allen

Northgate Land Development | Baton Rouge, LA

Norman ‘Akin’ Alston

Engageable Designs Unleashed | Kent, WA

April Anderson

Good Cakes and Bakes | Detroit, MI

Pearl Bailey-Anderson

LA Pearl Beauty Emporium | Philadelphia, PA

Daniel Barat

Lakeview Rewired Cafe | Chicago, IL

Bril Barrett

M.A.D.D. Rhythms | Chicago, IL

Alisha Battle

Perfect Reflections Daycare | Blue Island, IL

Lindsay Bergman

Green Mountain Painting & Contracting | Fort Collins, CO

Nicole Broushet

The Vegan Nest | Worcester, MA

Pomai Brown

Pomai Entertainment | Waikoloa, HI

Tresalyn Butler-Sharp

Young Chefs Academy of Gahanna | Columbus, OH

Candace Carrillo

The Stillwell House | Tucson, AZ

Javier Castillo

Castillo’s Restaurant | San Jose, CA

Galina Cherkas

Little People Preschool | San Francisco, CA

Christy Cooks

Lancook Transportation | Morrow, GA

Diane Cottle

Genanscot Services | Detroit, MI

Micah Crews

Gavin’s Downtown | Harrisburg, AR

Maria Daniel

Tree of Life Adult Day Care | Miami, FL

Dr. Kristian Edwards

BLK + GRN | Upper Marlboro, MD

Rebecca Eseonu-Chukwu

Xcel |South Riding, VA

Dana Fisher Specialty Marketing, LLC

Dental On Location | Bountiful, UT

Matthew Foulds

The Eco Larder CIC | Edinburgh, Scotland

Hector Guadalupe

Unibody Fitness | New York, NY

Kyla Hanaway-Quinlan

Pawtuxet Village Café | Cranston, RI

Karen Harris

Orange Fox Electrical | Dereham, England

Nam Hoang

Freshroll | San Francisco, CA

Malika Jacobs

Kingmakers | Columbus, OH

TeOnya Johnson

The Heavy Hanger | Wichita, KS

Jasmine Jones

Prestige Play and Learn | Norristown, PA

Mark Kahn

Downtown Yogurt | Jersey City, NJ

Julieta King

Villa Mexico Cafe | Boston, MA

Micki Krimmel

Superfit Hero | Crestline, CA

Tammie Latrell Harris

Mezzo Agency | Atlanta, GA

Michele Liddle

The Perfect Granola | Victor, NY

Sophia Louis

Auntie Sophie’s Daycare | Lancaster, CA

Desarae Marhofer

Beautiful You Skincare Studio | Pueblo, CO

Ivy Mellow

Ivy’s Simply Homemade | Waterford, CT

Leydi Meza

Oregon Design Specialist | Portland, OR

Edith Morris

BigOak Country Company | Urbanna, VA

Lorraine Newton

Taste of the Caribbean | Capital Heights, MD

Jay Newton-Small

MemoryWell |Washington, D.C.

Bryan O’Neill

Pilot Pipeline | New Hyde Park, NY

Jeana Parenti

Clovis Floral & Café | Clovis, CA

Tarasha Pearson

Pearson Pediatric Dentistry | Washington, DC

Dionne Presinal

Bronx Yoga Lab | Bronx, NY

Nur-E Rahman

Korai Kitchen | Jersey City, NJ

Sylvestra Ramirez

Physical Therapy of Milwaukee | Milwaukee, WI

Wesley Rankin

HiveBoxx | Seattle, WA

Mandy Reed

Reed Agency | Canon City, CO

Joyce Reed

Slow Burn Hot Chicken | Madison, TN

Christine Rose

4 Corners Yoga + Wellness | Dorchester, MA

Christian Santos

Movers & Co. | Lancaster, PA

Zaheda Sayed

Golden Eagle Shuttles | Lyndhurst, NJ

Marvin Scarborough

Foot Soldiers | Brooklyn, NY

Sasha Schwartz

Scribble Art Workshop Corporation | Wingdale, NY

Amanda Scotese

Chicago Detours | Chicago, IL

Kristin Sherman

The Learning Experience at Allen | Allen, TX

Gemma Sole

N.A.bld | New York, NY

Christine Staley

Magic City Hoagies | Minot, ND

Thomas Todd

Championship Martial Arts | Omaha, NE

Adriana Tucker

Bliss In Home Healthcare | Norfolk, VA

Akbar Vaiya

One Eyed Mike’s | Baltimore, MD

Narendra Varma

Our Table Cooperative | Sherwood, OR

Arlene Wagner

Bub and Pop’s | Washington, D.C.

Angela Wandera

FLORENA | Eden Prairie, MN

Zuzana Warner

Green Bench Cafe | Dublin, Ireland

Erin Westgate

Songbird Coffee & Tea House | Phoenix, AZ

Vaughn J. Whitfield

Maximum Fitness | Walkersville, MD

Aaron Young

The Green Company | Detroit, MI

Lorena Zeilman

True Shine | Flagstaff, AZ

Round 3 Recipients

Austin Blose

Zack’s Local Farm to Table Restaurant and Catering | New Bethlehem, PA

Shannon Seip

Bean Sprouts | Madison, WI

Monica Lamont

Lamont Homes | Washington, D.C.

Hawa Sultani

Crest Cafe | Sacramento, CA

Sarina Prabasi

Buunni Coffee | New York, NY

Rocio Burga Montero

Lima Peruvian Food | San Francisco, CA

Michael Van Camp

Amali Restaurant | New York, NY

Eric See

Ursula | Brooklyn, NY

Kapana Niki Sing

Hickory Street Kitchen and Cocktails | Sisseton, SD

Helen Schafer

Tiny House Coffee Roasters | Austin, TX

Matthew Day

United Educational Corp Programs | Randallstown, MD

David Greene

CrossFit Spero | Oak Park, IL

Jim Gunther

The Inn On First | Napa, CA

Luis Garcia

Bixbee | Chicago, IL

Zachary Glassman

Passion Passport | Brooklyn, NY

Robbie Stuart

Kids Worldwide | Brooklyn, NY

Kerwin Rent

EliteGamingLIVE | Columbia, MD

Tinia Pina

Re-Nuble | New York, NY

Shana Murad

D’s Market | Scottsdale, AZ

Bob Burke

Pot au Feu | Providence, RI

Anthony Jolly

Hot and Cool Cafe | Los Angeles, CA

Leslie Campbell

Sustain LA | Los Angeles, CA

Amy Cornforth

Captain Zodiac | Kailua-Kona, HI

Amit Rabinovich

Forma Pasta Factory | Brooklyn, NY

Sam Lyeon Moon

Medipoints Acupuncture Clinic | Menlo Park, CA

Ulviyya Nasibova

Gelateria Uli | Los Angeles, CA

Mariechia Palmer

Spring Eternal Behavioral Health | Oklahoma City, OK

Rebecca Sawhney

Marlowe | Berkeley, CA

Casey Stevens

The Refill Shoppe | Ventura, CA

Dante Corsi

People’s Restaurant Equipment | Detroit, MI

Heather Alanis

KidsPark | Arlington, TX

Tisa Clark

J.D. Clark Professional Services | Upper Marlboro, MD

Valeen Bhat

Private Picassos Studio | Brooklyn, NY

Dustin Owens

Tru 2 Form Hoops | Glen Echo, MD

Kate Houck

The Underground Kitchen | Richmond, VA

Martin Murch

Good Eats Group | Chicago, IL

Quiana Shamsid-Deen

Supreme Burger | Decatur, GA

Lisa Pena

Jamon Montessori | Silver Spring, MD

Olufemi Ibitayo

L’Art de Vivre Spa | Los Angeles, CA

Marcisco Morrison

Four Fitness | Jersey City, NJ

Renee Hillmann Prentice

Annapolis Children’s Therapy Center | Annapolis, MD

Anita Winters

Rock It Resell | Portland, OR

Alfred Walker

Walker Quality Services | Cypress, TX

Alexander De Almeida

Crispim BJJ | Pleasanton, CA

Michael Cook

Tempe Dance West | Phoenix, AZ

Alexander Washut

Jake’s Restaurant | Northampton, MA

Michelle Craig

Transcendent Law Group | New Orleans, LA

Leandro Lissa

Jumpin’ Jamboree | Doral, FL

Gina Mariko Rosales

Make it Mariko | San Francisco, CA

Charles McCoy

Artisan Luxury Brands | New York, NY

Lisa Gutierrez

Dos Hermanos Taco Truck | Columbus, OH

Todd Skog

Todd’s Room | Birmingham, MI

Round 2 Recipients

Yvonne Cox

Emmanuel Adult Day Center | Bridgeton, MO

Zayana Harriday

Peace Homes | Southfield, MI

Vivian Ross

Elephant in the Room Counseling Services | Augusta, GA

Leo Pollock

The Compost Plant | Providence, RI

Victoria Sesay

Sesay Enterprises | Johns Creek, GA

Karim Abouelnaga

Practice Makes Perfect | New York, NY

Katherine Tesch

Circus Academy of Tucson | Tucson, AZ

Faith Lee

Bird & Branch | New York, NY

Alessandro Biggi

Avocaderia | New York, NY

Darlene Crask

Ices Plain & Fancy | St. Louis, MO

Kristin Kagetsu

Saathi | New York, NY

Vania Abdul-Badee

360 Marketing & PR | Camden, NJ

Grace Melek

Success Fitness & Training Center | Maplewood, MN

Emmett Soldati

Teatotaller | Somersworth, NH

Emily McHugh

Casauri | Fort Pierce, FL

Catherine Jaffee

House of Pod | Denver, CO

Stella Husch

Strive Recreational Therapy | Clarkston, MI

Belinda Bates

Bates Distributors and Suppliers | Southfield, MI

Tara Darnley

Darlyng & Co. | Greensboro, NC

Shelley Wiseman

The Farm Cooking School | Solebury, PA

Joan Kanner

Bottoms Up Bagels | Baltimore, MD

Lilly Benitez

Blade Craft Barber Academy | Dallas, TX

Rochelle Brenner

Action Karate Mt. Airy | Philadelphia, PA

Courtney Blagrove

Whipped – Urban Dessert Lab | New York, NY

Mary Chris Ong

Soma Mvmt | Maplewood, NJ

Krittika Khandelwal

Soothi | Duluth, GA

Priyanka Raha

PopSmartKids | Bellevue, WA

Jewell Singletary

Gratitude Griot | Newark, NJ

Beverly Malbranche

Caribbrew | Newark, NJ

Monika Reti

Hipcooks | Portland, OR

Jessie Weinzatl

Coastal Massage and Wellness | Jacksonville, NC

Khadijah Robinson

The Nile List | Washington, D.C.

Lakischia M Smith

Who Dat Barber Shop | Harvey, LA

Carmen Brown

NJ Home Health Care | Jersey City, NJ

Pearl Ubaru

SiSTEM Tutoring Agency | Houston, TX

Courtney Bromwich

Sawnee School of Ballet | Cumming, GA

LeToya Garland

School of Breaking | Aurora, CO

Kristina Han

Own Your Wonder | Washington, D.C.

Jereatha Nichols

Smart Economic Development Fund of South Carolina | Orangeburg, SC

Maria Duerson

Umbrella Functional Consulting & Support Team | Croydon, PA

Brittany Holtz

Studio B Power Yoga | Harrisburg, PA

Miquel Henderson

The Studio Mind|Body | Boulder City, NV

Kevin McLaughlin

Larema Coffee House | Rocky Mount, NC

Cassiopeia Sledge

The Black Mall | Chicago, IL

Heather Harrison

The Bake Shop | Edgewater, FL

Linda Skwarcan

Veni’s Sweet Shop | Niles, MI

Usifo Ighedosa

Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids | Sugar Land TX

Corie A Lange

Mama Cella’s Pizza Station & Catering | Lima, OH

Kelly DiNardo

Past Tense Yoga Studio | Washington, D.C.

Sarah Anderson

Yoga on Beacon | Seattle, WA

Eugene Tan

Aquabumps Surf Photography | Sydney, Australia

Ivano Cafolla

Zazu | Donnybrook, Ireland

Round 1 Recipients

Nick Anderer

Anton’s | New York, NY

Gary Carter

Sitpinyo Muay Thai & Fitness | Hong Kong

Justin Gurland and Zac Clark

Release Recovery | Yorktown Heights, NY

Lisle Richards

The Village Den | New York, NY

Trishala Bhansali

Lekha | New Orleans, LA

Daymara Baker

Rockin’ Baker Incorporated | Fayetteville, AR

Hossein Akbari

The Discovery Years | San Jose, CA

Beth Plante

Charleston Power Yoga | Charleston, SC

Warren Norgaard

Milkweed Arts | Phoenix, AZ

Teri Van Goethem

DC Born & Bread | Washington, D.C.

Francine Zodda

A Child’s Place | McHenry, IL

Thomas C. Trotman

TNT Construction Training | Denver, CO

Michael A. Robinson

Dallas Costume Shoppe | Dallas, TX

Monica Wong

Little Green Cyclo | South San Francisco, CA

Athanasios Hatzinas

Yetter’s Diner | Augusta, NJ

Kareem Badr

The Hideout Theatre | Austin, TX

Tyrone Foster

Precision Landscape Services | Portland, OR

Janie Deegan

Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods | New York, NY

Lexi Beach

The Astoria Bookshop | New York, NY

Anna Peters

Art Coop | Urbana, IL

Sherille D. Barber

Barber Therapy & Associates | Rock Hill, SC

Brenda Bueno

Little Daydreamers Learning Center 2 | New York, NY

Alina Ackenbom

Camp Friendship | Palmyra, VA

Bridget Manzanares

Flagship Real Estate Group | Encinitas, CA

Melissa Anelli

Mischief Management | New York, NY

Lane Velayo

Synergos Association Management | Indianapolis, IN

Cate Phillips

Capstone Calling | West Bend, WI

Jimmie Richard

Richards Family Group | Willowick, OH

Jessie Lipkowitz

Polarity | Ann Arbor, MI

Charlotte Guyton

Bard & Baker | Troy, NY

Dennis Williams

W.Heir’s | Winter Springs, FL

Eric Cruz

Progressive Health & Performance | Murrieta, CA

Jaime Adams

Poshy Paws | Peoria, AZ

Zoe Schuler

ZMD | Madison, WI

Jonathan Byun

Playcenter | Lakewood, CA

Debbie Hall

Century Travel | Austin, TX

Jim O’Connor

Homestead Inn | Wolf Point, MT

Laura Oldaker

Academy for Caregiving Excellence | Tucson, AZ

Nicole Phillips

Inner Me | Houston, TX

Mona Ghattas

Duran Central Pharmacy | Albuquerque, NM

Mary Williams

Urgent & Primary Care Of Clarksdale | Clarksdale, MS

Kyle Black

RollerCade | Detroit, MI

Patrick Lai

Game Theory Restaurant + Bar | Fort Worth, TX

Sandra Stroehmann

Elixir Mind Body Massage | Denver, CO

Deborah Carlin

Debbie’s Dance Studio | Williamson, WV

Christian Davis

Supply Locale | Chicago, IL

Tom Rummel

MrCleanSD | San Diego, CA

Sheila Rhodes

Small Batch Kitchen Cafe and Market | Lansdale, PA

Cristina Atencio

Isabel Blackwell | Portland, OR

Ribner

PiperWai | New York, NY

Evonya Easley

Love E | Atlanta, GA

Kristi K May

Legend Acres | Surprise, AZ

Moiz Bohra

Nova Home Care | Farmington Hills, MI

Alda Escobar

Madre Luna | Corona, CA

Sian DeLuca

SensationAll Kids Gym | Concord, CA


Applications for the next round of the KKR Small Business Builders program open in Fall 2021. Click here to learn more and submit once applications reopen!

Actionable Tips

Subscribe now to get instant access to stories from business owners like you, funding opportunities from Hello Alice and our partners, and tips from small business experts.

Subscribe