Meet the COVID-19 Business for All Emergency Grant Recipients

Hello Alice is proud to announce the 152 recipients of the COVID-19 Business for All Emergency Grant program!

Among the Round 1–6 recipients, you’ll find clothing businesses that’ve pivoted to manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) like reusable face masks and caps, and a bath and body shop that’s quickly ramped up hand sanitizer production. One founder runs a CPA firm that offers accounting services to tribal governments, and another operates a text messaging service that helps fitness trainers keep their clients motivated. Every single recipient has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting their community during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Grant Recipient Stats & Demographics

Round 6 concludes our emergency grant program. Thanks to generous support from our partners at Silicon Valley Bank, UBS, eBay, Visible, and Pepsi, Hello Alice has awarded more than $1.5 million to 152 small business owners during this crisis. This group represents over 14 industries across 32 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.

We are most proud to say that 96% of recipients identify as part of the New Majority of small business owners. Of the 152 grant recipients:

110 or 72% are Women
69 or 45% are Black
35 or 23% are Hispanic
32 or 21% are Military Affiliated
30 or 20% are White
18 or 12% are LGBTQ+
17 or 11% are Asian or Pacific Islander
11 or 7% are individuals with a disability or disabilities
8 or 4% are Native or Indigenous

Each grant recipient was notified via a surprise Zoom call from the Hello Alice team. As you can see in each video, some of them got emotional.

Owners not selected for an emergency grant are still under consideration for our general Business for All grant program to be awarded this fall, which offers exclusive mentorship opportunities and grants of up to $50,000 to support long-term business growth. Recipients will be announced on or about October 9, 2020 by email.

Below, we’ve compiled a running list of all recipients and a short description of each of their businesses.

Round 6 Recipients (June 26–July 16)
Round 5 Recipients (June 5–25)
Round 4 Recipients (May 15–June 4)
Round 3 Recipients (April 24–May 14)
Round 2 Recipients (April 10–23)
Round 1 Recipients (March 26–April 9)

Round 6 Recipients

Ilka McElveen

Owner, Kidz-N-Motion Child Care Center | Elizabethtown, NC

Founded in 1957 by the owner’s grandmother, Kidz-N-Motion was the first and only child care center in Bladen County for 25 years. Today they serve low-income families and fundraise for an annual trip to Disney World to expose the youth to the magic of Disney. The Center also teaches yoga, line dance, and hip hop to keep kids and adults fit and in shape.

Farid Zadi

Owner, Revolutionario North African Tacos | Los Angeles, CA

Revolutionario North African Tacos started as a pop-up before opening a brick and mortar in May 2015 on a sleepy stretch of Jefferson Boulevard in the northern part of South Central LA. The family shares a “people first” vision and gives a free hot meal and beverage of choice to anyone who is hungry. Revluntionario serves healthy, tasty, and affordable food.

Angela Ketah

Owner, Sitka Flowers & The Chocolate Moose | Sitka, AK

Sitka Flowers & The Chocolate Moose is a unique chocolate and flower shop located on the charming main street of downtown Sitka, Alaska. Owner Angela Ketah has dedicated herself to the business, focusing on excellent customer service and quality products. With growth and sustainability at the forefront of her business mindset, Angela began producing her chocolate locally using high quality and locally sourced flavors and ingredients.

Amanda Gourlie

Owner and Director of Business Development, The Vet Chef | Bothell, WA

After speaking on panels about reintegrating active duty service members into the workforce, Chef Amanda Gourlie realized the significant need for employment opportunities where veterans and their family members could ease their way back into civilian life. The Vet Chef was created in 2015 with the mission to establish a brand of food trucks and restaurants owned, operated, and managed by veterans and their family members.

Edward Vinnett

Owner, Vertical Horizons Construction | Destrehan, LA

Vertical Horizons Construction is a family-owned business founded by a contractor and an architect. The business started out with smaller jobs like painting, hanging doors, and installing toilets and showers. It has since leveled up to tackle renovations, new constructions, gutters, electrical, and even work in the commercial sector.

Yvonne Flores

Owner, Westcliff Properties | Santa Ana, CA

Westcliff Properties specializes in long-term leasing and management of single family homes, multi-family, and mixed use properties with an emphasis on technology and customer service. They also offer live scan fingerprinting, virtual tours and floorplans, DTSA house cleaning services, recording services, VIN verification DMV registration, DMV license plates, passport photos, and mobile notary public services.

Gala Guerrero

Owner, WL4K | Charleston, SC

WL4K — or World Languages 4 Kids — offers Spanish classes for children and adults with full immersion programs for children, Spanish class for homeschooled students, and tutoring for elementary, high school, and college students. They also offer ESL programs, summer camps, afterschool programs, and adult classes for private companies and professionals.

Ashley Roberts

Owner, Competitive Edge | Austin, TX

With just a dream, a vision, and a goal, Competitive Edge, founded by former Lady Longhorn Ashley Roberts, started impacting the community in 2014. Competitive Edge hosts a variety of events such as basketball camps, skilled group training, team training, one-on-one private training lessons, speaking engagements, and more.

Sindy Noguera

Owner, Guembos Café | Miami, FL

Located in the heart of Allapattah, Guembos Café prides itself in creating a family-oriented ambiance, where customers can recreate childhood experiences and pass down family traditions through the art of sharing a meal. Affordable and delicious Central American dishes appeal to food lovers with the desire to heighten their palate with new taste and flavors.

Ruth Andre

Owner, Pinch Me Gastrobar | Miami, FL

Pinch Me Gastrobar is a small neighborhood restaurant opened in 2014 specializing in “pinch-me’s” or “tablas” made of cured meats, cheeses, dried fruits, and plenty of bread — an authentic and conceptual dining based on Basque fine cuisine. The backyard patio serves as a venue in which to host special events, such as weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, office parties, and more.

Davis Senseman

Founder, Davis Law Office | Minneapolis, MN

Davis Law Office provides legal services to small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs primarily from marginalized and under resourced communities. They have served more than 1,000 clients in the last decade, and DLO clientele grows by at least 10 clients a month. Since COVID-19, the firm has pivoted to provide pro bono assistance to help individuals access government resources.

Arielle Loren Palmer

Founder, 100K Incubator | Miami, FL

100K Incubator is the first business funding mobile app for women. Since its beta launch in 2018, 100K has expanded to support local government agencies and corporations in their women and minority-owned small business efforts. The team has worked to aid Black women’s small businesses through COVID-19, helping them access funding and transition to digital sales through Facebook and Google ad technology.

Cassandre Davilmar

Founder, Lakou Cafe | Brooklyn, NY

Lakou Cafe is a Haitian-American cafe and event space. In Haitian creole, “Lakou” is the space where the community gathers, and in Brooklyn it is where the community gathers for coffee, teas, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, baked goods, and more. Lakou also regularly offers workshops, movie nights, open mic nights, and art shows.

Kim Roxie

Founder & CEO, LAMIK Beauty | Houston, TX

LAMIK Beauty is a non-toxic vegan makeup line selling products direct-to-consumer to multicultural, underserved women. Owner Kim Roxie has developed software that allows customers to virtually try on makeup for shade matching and product recommendations.

Anika Hobbs

Owner, Nubian Hueman | Washington, D.C.

Nubian Hueman specializes in sourcing unique goods from designers and brands that represent the global diaspora. Hobbs has partnered with more than 400 brands and designers from 31 different countries, and 99% of its products are made by people of color. The shop is a catalyst for culture, community, and the development of the creative economy by connecting consumers with independent artists across the globe.

Latricia Wright

Principal Practitioner, Olive Seed | Detroit, MI

Olive Seed is a certified WBE wellness enterprise offering implementation strategies and solutions that cultivate a healthy lifestyle. It provides corporate wellness workshops, nutritional assessments, dietary support, and wholesome products that improve health and make homes and businesses healthier.

Mimi Johnson

Founder & CEO, The Glamatory | Smyrna, GA

The Glamatory was founded in 2014 by Mimi Johnson, a celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur with a lifelong dream of helping other women look and feel their best. With it’s vegan- and cruelty-free makeup and a powerhouse lineup of some of the most exciting talent in the industry, this young and ambitious brand is consciously beautifying the world, one client and product at a time.

Xiomara Rosa-Tedla

Co-Owner, UnoEth | Oakland, CA

After a trip to Ethiopia to visit family, Xiomara’s father brought several leather goods home as gifts for friends and family, only to realize that he needed to go back to Addis Ababa for more! Thus, the birth of UnoEth. Today the father-daughter business partners with artisans in Ethiopia to craft handmade leather bags and accessories.

Zandra Cunningham

Founder, Zandra Beauty | Buffalo, NY

Zandra is a sustainable and plant-based skincare company located in Buffalo, New York. The brand creates high-quality, eco-friendly skincare products for sensitive skin, all while using sustainable practices.

Deborah Koenigsberger

Owner, Noir et Blanc | New York, NY

Tucked away in New York City’s Flatiron District, Noir et Blanc is a French-themed women’s clothing boutique founded by former model and stylist Deborah Koenigsberger. Opened in 1989, the boutique offers contemporary clothing and accessories imported from countries like France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Anika Godwin Hilderbrand

Founder / CEO, OpulenceMD Beauty | Greensboro, NC

OpulenceMD is a luxury beauty brand offering magnetic lashes. As a board certified eye surgeon, founder Anika Godwin Hilderbrand started the line to offer high-end beauty solutions with eye safety at the forefront.

Stevonne Ratliff

Founder, Beija Flor Naturals | Oakland, CA

Beija-Flor Naturals is among the first U.S.-based brands to bring quality natural beauty products to women of color. After gaining success online as an early e-commerce brand, founder Stevonne Ratliff opened Concept Forty-Seven, a space for 100+ women of color, independent artists, and makers to sell goods and use as a community space.

Logan Niles

Owner / Executive Chef, Pot Pie Factory | Seattle, WA

Founded in 2017 by chef Logan Niles, Pot Pie Factory creates carefully-crafted pot pies using healthy ingredients. The company offers comfort meals that fill the gaps in today’s pot pies: healthy ingredients, scratch cooking, and a much-needed nod to different dietary needs.

Thereasa Black

CEO, Bon AppéSweet | Arlington, VA

Amore Congelato serves up healthy, artisan gelatos using dates as a star-ingredient. Veteran Thereasa Black started the company after realizing that deployment and 80-hour weeks as an attorney were no longer an option. Thereasa, who had left for deployment before her daughter’s second birthday, decided to start a business as a promise to never leave her daughter’s side.

Lisa S Jones

CEO, EyeMail | Atlanta, GA

EyeMail is a patent-pending technology that brings email to life through memorable and compelling story-telling communications for enhanced customer and employee engagement. The business helps companies deliver compelling email content, helping increase response rates and engagement.

Karneisha Christian

CEO / Creative Director, Pucker Up Lemonade Company | Carson, CA

Pucker Up Lemonade Company offers handcrafted lemonades with over 40 flavors. Founded in 2011, the company provides beverage catering services for corporate and community events. A self described creative, Karneisha has coupled a distinct brand identity with the quintessential lemonade stand to open the doors of a brick and mortar in her hometown of Compton, CA.

Terrie Viets

Owner, Solari | Rocky River, OH

Solari was founded in 2002 and directly imports artisan home decor, tableware, and unique gifts from Italy which are functional works of art. They specialize in custom designs enabling customers to create a look and feel that transforms their homes into a truly individual and inspired “destination.”

Round 5 Recipients

LaToya Darden

2T Tickets | Houston, TX

2T Tickets provides online ticketing and point of sale systems to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Its mission is to increase the exposure of HBCUs by supporting them with technology and branded apparel. Due to COVID-19, 2T Tickets has pivoted to offer PPE supplies.

Yoichi Ahzzma

Ahzzma CPA | Tacoma, WA

Ahzzma is a licensed CPA firm that provides services exclusively to a niche industry — tribal governments. The firm specializes in federal grants and focuses on governmental auditing, including consulting on financial policies, indirect cost rate proposal work, tribal enterprise auditing, single audit, and implementation of e-learning systems. As a 100% minority-owned firm, they consider cultural understanding just as important as technical understanding.

Angela Mook

Alcea Surrogacy | Dallas, TX

Alcea Surrogacy is a female-owned and operated holistic fertility collective for families looking to grow via surrogacy, egg donation, and sperm donation. Featuring a team of social workers, surrogates, prenatal yoga teachers, doulas, chiropractors, and more, Alcea’s company culture is focused on prioritizing BIPOC representation in regard to clients, affiliates, surrogates, donors, and staff.

Abdirahim Mohamed

AM Courier | Minneapolis, MN

AM Courier partners with local companies to expedite delivery operations in the state of Minnesota. Before COVID, the team had two box trucks; now, one is lost and the other requires repairs. The Hello Alice COVID-19 Emergency Grant will help them afford repairs and grow to include five box trucks within the next two years.

Mario Anton

Anton Acero Beauty Studio | Coral Gables, FL

Anton Acero Beauty Studio is a team of trained professionals specializing in hair services, makeup, and outstanding customer service. Oswaldo Acero and Mario Anton, business partners and members of the LGBTQ+ community, opened the salon in 2010 and pride themselves on giving customers a beauty experience with a modern and glamorous touch.

Kylie Chaffin

Brave Counseling Services | Spokane, WA

Kylie Chaffin is a licensed mental health counselor who provides counseling services primarily to women during and after pregnancy. These services include helping women who are experiencing perinatal mood disorders (i.e. postpartum/perinatal depression, anxiety, OCD, psychosis, etc.) by finding resources and developing coping skills to help them in motherhood. For the last several months, Chaffin has been working to expand her services by hiring additional therapists to provide more services t
o underserved populations.

Laura Blair

BuildZig | Oakland, CA

BuildZig offers real estate development services like site assessments, planning and design, construction management, project management, and permit procurement to homeowners in California’s East Bay. Their current focus is on assisting homeowners build accessory dwelling units to create equity and add additional housing to the area.

Jeannette Mott

Butcherman’s Gourmet Sausage | Royse City, TX

Butcherman’s is a family-owned business in Royse City, Texas, providing fresh-cut black angus steaks, $5 smoked chicken, and what it’s best known for: gourmet sausages. The family prides itself on the quality of their meat and customer service. Additionally, the business is very involved in the local community by assisting first responders, supporting the local FFA, and donating food to families in need.

Joan Dans

Carasmatic Productions | Los Angeles, CA

Carasmatic Productions is a multilingual voiceover production company serving the needs of non-English speakers in over 150 languages. They localize (translate, voice, and subtitle) materials including videos, documents, telephony audio, PSAs, commercials, and more. Carasmatic’s company motto is: “There’s no traffic on the extra mile.”

David Sanchez

Estudio Yada | Chicago, IL

Estudio Yada is a multimedia digital consulting agency working with education nonprofits and tech companies across the U.S. The company was founded by David Sanchez, is run by creatives, and operates without executive overhead to allow artists to focus on the latest trends, experiment with new tech, and give special care to clients.

Cory Nicolas

Family Tree Project | Kapolei, HI

Family Tree Project provides mental health services to at-risk youth, ages 16-18, and their families by partnering with Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy and the City and County of Honolulu Youth Services. FTP does not turn anyone away, regardless of ability to pay or health insurance status.

Alba Gomez

A Loving Place | Hialeah, FL

A Loving Place is an assisted living community operating for more than 25 years in Hialeah, Florida, that supports daily living needs such as ambulatory assistance, transfers, bathing, diaper changes, administering of medications, and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has been working overtime to sanitize the facility, connect their senior residents with their families via iPhone or tablets, and provide emotional support.

Blanca Ortiz

Chamango Mexican Snacks | Las Vegas, NV

The concept behind Chamango Mexican Snacks, established in 2016 by Bianca Ortiz, is to bring fresh and tasty snacks to the North Las Vegas community. The shop sells a variety of snacks such as Mexican corn, fruit cups, ice cream, nachos, Tostilocos, fresh pressed juices, and sweet and savory crepes. The small food menu includes items like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. During COVID, Ortiza was forced to close before reopening to offer take-out and deliveries.

Elena Castaneda

Happy Kids Co | Reisterstown, MD

Happy Kids Co is a modern children’s boutique in Reisterstown, Maryland, that carries a variety of hand-made goods from other small, mom-owned businesses in the U.S. Owner Elena Castaneda’s goal is to support working mothers by employing them and allowing them to also bring their kids to work.

Kaci Kai

Krav Maga ATX | Austin, TX

Krav Maga ATX is co-owned by six instructors and teaches hands-on self defense to a diverse community of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with all types of political beliefs. People come for the self defense but stay because of the tight-knit, body-positive community. Pre-COVID, the team taught 20 classes per week, including a dedicated Women’s Self Defense class. Currently, they’re teaching limited in-person classes and a few virtual classes.

Vernon Logan

Logan Ventures | Macon, GA

Logan Ventures is a business consulting company that provides clients with information, tools, and research to create actionable plans with tangible results. They provide assistance and planning businesses through services like capital deployment, project management, business analysis, branding and promotion, graphic/web design, social media management, security and analysis, research, and customer relations strategy.

Amira Crawford

MA Therapy | New York, New York

MA Therapy is a practice of six therapists who understand the importance of providing accessible anti-racist, racially affirming psychotherapy to people of color. While the general cost for a therapy session in New York City ranges between $125-$200, MA Therapy’s providers see clients for $50-$125 per session. The majority of clients represent underserved populations, whether Black, Latinx, domestic violence survivors, women, and disabled individuals.

Meg McNeill

MISCellaneous Distillery | Mount Airy, MD

MISCellaneous Distillery is a family-owned business making award-winning spirits using locally sourced inputs, including grain grown at a friend’s farm that is milled at the distillery’s own water-powered grist mill from the 1800s. Just three years after opening, the distillery’s offerings include rum, rye whisky, bourbon, and gin packaged with labels that feature artwork by local artists. Currently, the tasting room is open for pre-booked visits, with new cleaning protocols in place and new policies for guests.

Paula Stewart

Occupational Therapy For Kidz | Cambria Heights, NY

Occupational Therapy For Kidz (OT For Kidz) is the only Black-owned occupational therapy facility in South Queens, New York. Its therapeutic services help improve various developmental issues in children, so they can thrive physically, socially, emotionally and academically. During the pandemic, the facility is closed until further notice, but will continue to offer teletherapy OT services and consultations.

Geoff Chaney

Off Day Trainer | San Luis Obispo, CA

Off Day Trainer provides intelligent text messages to help gyms and fitness professionals continue to train their clients from a distance. The system comes pre-configured with templates, pre-written content, and automation workflows. One of its main products is the 30-Day “Get Up and Move” challenge program for trainers to promote to their clients.

Christine Polito

Oku Education | Fountain Valley, CA

Oku Education is a learning center for homeschooled children that helps round out their education by giving them a place to socialize and learn social-emotional skills. Oku Education has grown its community from a 15-person program to serving almost 90 children. During COVID, in-person classes are canceled, and the team has transitioned the campus into a completely virtual platform.

Kristin Kitchen

Sojourn Heritage Accommodations | Miami, FL

Sojourn Heritage is a new boutique hotel brand focused on African American history and culture. Founder and CEO Kristin Kitchen, along with her team, ren
ovate historically relevant buildings in Black communities being heavily gentrified to tell cultural stories and empower residents and neighboring businesses. Their business has been able to support existing — or help create — new entrepreneurs by hiring services from local residents.

Eman Desouky

Super Juiced | Oakland, CA

Super Juiced is a family-run, queer, Black-owned business offering organic nourishing foods to the Oakland community. Super Juiced is dedicated to ending the lack of healthy food options by offering fruit and vegetable juices, organic superfood smoothies, healthy breakfast options, nourishing house-made nut milks, light organic produce offerings, and an intentionally curated apothecary of goods from local herbalists.

Michele Bottone

The Clean Up Crew | Greenville, TX

The Clean Up Crew is a woman-owned construction site cleaning company founded in 2007. The business has survived dire economic downturns before, and now during the pandemic, their service is integral to the owners being health certified for opening. The team has also been very active in offering COVID-19 cleanings for grocery stores affected by the pandemic.

Joseph Ward-Wallace

South LA Cafe | Los Angeles, CA

South LA Cafe is a Black-owned community coffee shop, cultural center, and market in the heart of South-Central Los Angeles. Aside from offering healthy and affordable options for coffee, tea, soups, salads, and sandwiches, the cafe serves as a cultural hub that regularly hosts book readings, art shows, workshops, and more.

Muddassir Mohiuddin

Therapy at Home | Greendale, WI

Therapy at Home’s main goal is to help senior citizens maintain their independence and improve their overall quality of life through physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Patients range from completely independent to those with severe dementia who require assistance with daily tasks. The team works individually with each client to understand their unique physical, mental, and emotional needs. All staff share a passion for advocating for patients with dementia through community and family-based practices.

Jennifer Chin

Town Dentistry | Pearl River, NY

Town Dentistry is a small dental practice offering restorative and cosmetic dental services to meet the needs of the whole family. Owner Jennifer Chin is taking good care of the health and safety of her patients and staff, and has spent more than $10,000 of her own personal savings to buy PPE.

Michelle DeJohnette

Village Kids Family Child Care | San Diego, CA

Village Kids Family Child Care is a home child care facility serving children and families in a diverse, low-income San Diego community for over 22 years. It educates and cares for children from ages 0 to school age in an anti-bias/anti-racist environment while parents attend work or school. They also provide resources and support for those who are navigating parenting issues and may have questions about their child’s developmental milestones.

Son Young Jung

Yei San Jib Restaurant | Rowland Heights, CA

Son Young-Jung, a first-generation Korean immigrant, opened Yei San Jin Restaurant as a way to cast away feelings of homesickness and bring people together. To Young-Jung, food can become a bridge between those who have journeyed far away from home. Each dish is filled with heartfelt memories of the owner’s mother’s cooking.

Desarae Marhofer

Beautiful You Skincare Academy | Pueblo, CO

Beautiful You is a small private beauty school, focused solely on providing skin care/esthetics training for its students. The owner prefers a very small and intimate learning environment, with only eight students per session. Beautiful You also has a professional spa where they offer skincare/esthetics services to the general public to enhance its students and licensed esthetician’s hands-on skills.

Round 4 Recipients

Carlos Alves

Carlos Alves Studios | Miami, FL

Drawing from his Cuban roots and his Miami upbringing, Carlos Alves’ themes as an artist encompass love, hope, history, culture, politics, nature, and a kinship with the sea. For 30 years, he has hand made and manufactured custom mosaic ceramic tile for private residences and for public buildings. He employs art students and graduates based on the jobs and requirements for each individual project.

Jamie Whirl

President, Classy Cleanup Services | Chicago, IL

After working in the financial sector for over a decade, Jamie Whirl decided to follow a calling to do more for the community and started Classy Cleanup Services. Her belief is that helping and serving the people who are most often overlooked in the community will bring positive change to poverty stricken areas, which is why she hires the previously incarcerated and others from the community seeking rehabilitation through employment. As a commercial cleaning company, Classy Cleanup offers post construction and industrial cleaning services and products.

Patrick Hernandez

President, Done Right Roofing & Exteriors | Colorado Springs, CO

Done Right Roofing & Exteriors is a full exteriors company offering roofing, siding, fences, painting, and more for commercial and residential locations. Owner and President Patrick Hernandez is a former union worker with more than 20 years of experience in the roofing industry.

Tamara Johnson

Owner and Founder, Enso Apothecary | Fort Worth, TX

Enso Apothecary is a holistic wellness boutique that is passionate about optimizing one’s self-care routine for the body, mind, and spirit. It offers 100% natural vegan skincare products, yoga and meditation classes, and a host of wellness events to heal and empower one to become their best self. Enso Apothecary serves a minority community in the historic southeast side of Fort Worth, a demographic disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Megan Greenwood

Owner, Greenwood Brewing | Phoenix, AZ

While Megan Greenwood was a home brewer, she was also working in Corporate America and found that many of her most important conversations were over craft beer. However, she felt underrepresented as a woman in the craft beer scene. Turns out 72% of women-beer-drinkers agreed. Henceforth, the creation of Greenwood Brewing, where a team created a brewery to be inclusive and to promote a culture that encourages sharing your perspective and strong conversation over a chosen avenue — beer!

Lauren Marra

Founder and CEO, Groundwork Partners | Washington, D.C.

Groundwork Partners is a social impact consulting consortium that partners with foundations, nonprofits, networks, and intermediaries to achieve racial, gender, and economic justice. As a small, nimble team led by and composed primarily of women and people of color, they help clients conduct R&D, create strategic plans, design and implement operating and grant-making programs, facilitate effective board and team meetings, and execute effective fundraising plans.

Jerry Koizumi and Brina Dorser

Owners, Hideaway Hilo | Honolulu, HI

Jerry Koizumi and Brina Dorser opened Hideaway Hilo in 2018 as an outlet to showcase all the amazing local artists and brands in Hawaii. One of the business’ core values is taking care of their employees. That includes paying them a livable wage, and the opportunity to be directly involved in the direction and future of the store.

Shana Burney

Kingston Properties | Biloxi, MS

Kingston Properties is a property management company for long- and short-term residential rental properties. They also partner with Noelle Randall Coaching “Mentorship” to teach aspiring entrepreneurs how to obtain financial freedom, create generational wealth, and build a successful business from the foundation.

Mario S. Rivas

Owner, KMR Gourmet | Los Angeles, CA

KMR Entertainment is a family-owned company with more than 30 years of experience in catering. Its clients include top 100 companies, Disney, USC, UCLA, UCI, Sony, Coachella, Stage Coach, Ford, Toyota, AARP, CAST, and more. The business was recently awarded Best Caterers 2020 in Los Angeles, and was recognized in 2019 as a Top Los Angeles Caterer.

Twann Wilkerson

Kool Treats by Mama Dukes | Miami, FL

Kool Treats by Mama Dukes is a Black-owned small business located in Miami, Florida that specializes in Italian ice, açaí bowls, and kombucha. They ship Italian ice from Philadelphia Water Ice Factory, while the remainder of products are locally sourced. Kool Treats purchases their açaí from local vendors in Miami that specialize in creating a smooth fluid texture, while the kombucha is sourced and made from a family-based farm in Homestead, Florida. Kool Treats is dedicated to helping other small businesses in Florida, while also improving their own.

Jennifer Todd

President, LMS General Contractors | Pompano Beach, FL

Established in 2013, LMS General Contractors is a woman-owned and operated environmental contracting business that operates across the country. It specializes in full structural demolitions, remediations, remodels, and environmental services that treat asbestos, infectious diseases, hazardous material, and mold. LMS standards are based on and include the CDC, EPA, and OSHA-approved.

Aimee Suarez

Owner, Los Abuelos Felices | Homestead. FL

Suarez operates an adult daycare in Homestead, FL with a troupe of bilingual professionals in the healthcare field. The daycare offers recreational activities, exercises, walks, and other ways for its senior residents to connect and move around. Guests can enjoy time in the game room, exercise room, library, outdoor patio, and more.

Leon Sims Jr.

Main Event Barbershop | College Park, Maryland

Established in 2014, Main Event Barbershop provides professional services such as cutting, shampooing, shaves, coloring, and styling for all types of hair. Main Event services all nationalities and maintains a strong relationship with the University of Maryland, where they give all students and faculty discounts.

Christina Hedgepeth

Owner, Mainstream Plumbing | Garner, NC

Mainstream Plumbing offers residential and commercial plumbing to local residents and businesses in Garner, North Carolina. It offers mainstream repairs, installs, and maintains plumbing needs to churches, businesses, and homes, with a focus on giving back to the community by creating jobs and helping the elderly and disabled with their plumbing needs.

Darsha Carter

Co-Founder and COO, Melanoid Exchange | Houston, TX

Many small, minority-owned businesses believe that having an online presence can help them, but can’t afford the maintenance fees of these platforms. Melanoid Exchange was born to serve this need. Melanoid Exchange is an e-commerce platform dedicated to helping small minority-owned businesses build an online presence by giving the general public a central place to shop from minority-owned brands.

Valencia Wells

Owner and Optometrist, Morris Avenue Eyecare | Birmingham, AL

Morris Avenue Eyecare is an optometry practice that places an exceptional priority on the health and safety of its patient’s vision. The mission is to provide each patient with very thorough, comprehensive eye care and unique, quality eyewear. The team takes pride in the fact that patients tell them they feel loved and well taken care of like they are members of the Morris Avenue Eyecare family.

Ariana Hall

Owner, On the Spot Solutions | New Orleans, LA

On the Spot Solutions is a small Latin female-owned and operated company founded in 2009 to offer residential cleaning and commercial cleaning services. By 2011, their offerings grew to include professional organizing services and property management services. Over the past year, it has started restructuring the cleaning side of the business into a business co-op model with the employees having direct ownership and profit sharing.

Stephanie LaFleur

Owner, Oregon Serigraphics | Roseburg, OR

Oregon Serigraphics is the manifestation of a lifelong commitment to graphic arts and passion of creating. A successful design studio in 1992 led to AJ Snapper — a private line of eco-apparel designs — and later the storefront today known as ORS, with an interest in greater community good. After five years of steady growth in the educational, business, healthcare, and non-profit sectors, Oregon Serigraphics is maturing toward the highest manifestation of good they can imagine. The company is rooted in using capitalism for good.

Nydia Perez-Salazar

President, Persal Property Improvements | Hollywood, FL

Persal Property Improvements is a commercial and residential general contracting and construction company. The company has been providing quality services to South Florida families and businesses for almost two decades. Persal is Florida State Licensed and Certified and satisfied customers are the main line of advertisement as the owners rely primarily on word of mouth advertisement. Accomplishments include all types of large and small projects across South Florida, including but not limited to interior remodeling, exterior remodeling, hardscaping, and customized residential and commercial projects.

Brandi Glenn

CEO, Playtastic Pediatric Therapy | Los Angeles, CA

Playtastic Pediatric Therapy provides therapeutic services including consultations, evaluations, treatments, workshops for families/teachers, center based programs, and patient education, with the early intervention children ages 0-3 years of age. The business is run with passion, purpose, and a pure joy to empower families to better care for the needs of their disabled children.

Juana Quintero

Lady Blue Tailors | Aventura, FL

Lady Blue Tailors is a family owned and operated custom tailoring and alterations business that has served the community for over 30 years. The four-person staff, made up of immigrant women 50 and older, includes tailors and seamstresses with the knowledge and experience to professionally design, make, alter, and recycle any garment for every special occasion, including wedding gowns, brit milah or baptism outfits, prom dresses or suits, etc. They come from families where sewing was taught through multiple generations as a means to support the families, educate the kids, and promote women’s rights. Lady Blue Tailors is most proud of teaching young individuals in their community interested in learning to sew and build a sustainable society.

Maria Ringler

Ringler Landscape Design | Loxahatchee, FL

Ringler Landscape Design Co. offers design and installation services for all of Palm Beach County, including residential landscape design and installation, commercial landscape design and installation, and community and homeowners association landscape design and installation. They are passionate about landscaping, and love the aspect of growing and installing plant materials that will have a lasting effect on the world and the environment.

Jana Rose-Nealy

Salon Anaj | Dickinson, TX

Nealy has been a hair stylist for almost 30 years and a business owner for almost 15. Salon Anaj offers hair and makeup service to people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Services include blowouts, updos and styling, cut and color, and more.

Cynthia Nevels

Owner, Soulgood | Dallas, TX

Soulgood is a B-Corporation, organic, vegan, and vegetarian food truck and catering company serving up plant-based fast food to go in Dallas, Texas. It launched as a pop-up kitchen in 2014 at the Dallas Farmers Market, and by 2016 it expanded to food truck services and catering that serves healthy food alternatives to corporate, government, nonprofit, and private consumer events customers. Their mission is to save the planet, people, and animals one plate at a time.

Rachel Myers

StudioUs | Chicago, IL

StudioUs is an art school and gallery serving the north Chicago area providing fine art instruction for students ages 4 to adult, with a focus on demystifying the process of drawing and painting. Through this process, students can understand how to break down images into component parts and build color in layers to create a luminous, life-like completed work. In addition to regular classes, StudioUs offers summer camps and day-off workshops priced to be accessible to all families in our community so that students in need of a place to go when school is out of session can enjoy our classes. They also work with local artists to host shows in their gallery, providing a no-cost environment for new artists to show their work.

Chanae Reese

Succor Properties | Hazel Crest, IL

With 35 apartments and plans to develop new properties, Succor Properties provides rentals to low-income tenants in a low-income community. Working through all of the steps involved and being able to deliver a great product in an underserved neighborhood gives the Succor team a sense of accomplishment. When they see people going into their new homes, they know they’re making a difference for not only the families but also the neighborhood.

Alvin Huang

Synthesis Design + Architecture | Los Angeles, CA

Synthesis Design + Architecture is a forward-thinking and multi-award winning design firm led by Alvin Huang, AIA. It is based in Los Angeles with architectural licenses in California, Arizona, and Colorado. It specializes in producing innovative design work that not only challenges convention through technological, material, and computational innovation, but also work that purposefully enlivens the public imagination and makes a case for the role of innovative architecture in our contemporary creative design culture.

Sterling Wise

Owner, The Wise Decision | Detroit, MI

The Wise Decision is a health and fitness company that provides wellness and fitness training programs to people from all walks of life. The programs include open gym memberships, fitness training, group classes, nutrition coaching, youth fitness programs, strength and conditioning programs for student athletes, childhood obesity programs, and mental health programs.

Johnathan Jeong

Wonju Korean Restaurant | Roanoke, VA

Wonju Korean Restaurant is a family-owned business serving traditional Korean food to the community members of Roanoke and beyond since 2011. The restaurant serves authentic Korean dishes such as bulgogi, kimchi stew, and bibimbap, while offering customers a unique experience that awakens all five senses.

Bridgette Baker

Sunshine Remodeling | New Orleans, LA

With a portfolio of one multi-family unit and one single family home, Bridgette Baker’s Sunshine Remodeling is a labor of love. After repairing her credit, she was in a good position to purchase rental property that needed a little Tender Loving Care. Countless Google searches taught her how to decorate/renovate on a shoestring budget, and she spent many nights searching YouTube videos on improving your real estate property on a tight budget. Her husband is the brawns, and Baker is the brains in this venture. Sunshine Remodeling is on a mission to frugally transform rental property as a path to create generational wealth.

Round 3 Recipients

Nicole Christie

Owner, The Christie Law Firm | Hartford, CT

The Christie Law Firm provides legal services that place children at the center of its focus. The practice believes that parents have the most significant impact on their children’s lives; therefore, if they help the parent, they help the child. The end result is a healthier family.

Darryl Bates

Founder and Owner, Custom Clinic HQ | San Diego, CA

With a background in regenerative sports medicine, Dr. Darryl Bates is starting a fellowship in genomics-based personalized medicine and looks forward to working with and educating patients about the ways lifestyle and genetics shapes their health. Since the disruption of COVID-19, Custom Clinic HQ has pivoted to COVID-19 testing to help businesses reopen safely by providing onsite antigen and antibody testing.

Robert Woods

Owner, The Business and Real Estate Development Company, LLC | Minneapolis, MN

With many phases over the years, Robert Woods’ business was at one point a development company with a licensed realtor, architects, engineers, and contractor relationships Then the market collapsed and the Business moved on to independent consulting. Finally, the company turned to agriculture and energy efficiency, where it focuses its efforts today.

Bruno Rose

President and CEO, Pack Leaders ATL | Atlanta, GA

Pack Leaders ATL was founded in 2017 by Bruno Rose and Patrick Kopp. After meeting many pet parents who didn’t like their experience with dog-walking gig apps, Bruno and Patrick decided to create a pet care company that focused on providing a personalized and professional experience for pet parents. As Pack Leaders ATL grows, the duo hopes to create a standard of pet care, community engagement, and professionalism that is new to the pet care industry.

Freda Madison

CFO and COO, Madison Enterprises | Chicago, IL

In 2016, Freda and Kevin Madison created Madiso
n Enterprises to revitalize and sustain Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods that have been distressed due to foreclosures. The family-owned business has so far rehabbed 20 units, creating a safe and affordable environment where residents can live, work, and play without going outside of their community.

Lemi-Ola Erinkitola

Founder and CEO, The Critical Thinking Child | Chicago, IL

Founder and CEO Lemi-Ola Erinkitola once struggled to find reliable strategies she could use to support her own children in their academic growth. Today, The Critical Thinking Child equips parents with innovative teaching that helps them support their children. The academic programs provided through CTC also prepare students to think deeply about their evolving world and navigate academic success within the context of our modern era of technology.

Andrea Cosey

Owner, Ray J’s College of Hair | Baton Rouge, LA

Operated by a husband and wife team, Ray J’s College of Hair was founded in 1993 to help men and women reach and obtain their God-gifted talent. The business has grown to be recognized throughout the state as a school dedicated to supporting the community through free haircuts.

Pamela Blair

Owner, EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore | University City, MO

The EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore opened its doors on Juneteenth 2015 in response to the owner’s difficulty finding books that featured African Americans heroes for her four children. With the help of the St. Louis community, the store has grown year over year and has been able to reach and enhance the lives of more children all the time.

Michael Cook

Owner and Director, Tempe Dance West | Phoenix, AZ

Tempe Dance West believes in nurturing the talent of each individual student as they explore movement and music. The studio’s teaching philosophy is centered on instilling a passion for dance, while also building self-esteem and confidence in every child. The students’ well-being is our number one priority; their capability is secondary. TDW’s mission is to promote arts education and to ensure any child has the opportunity to learn this healthy art form, regardless of their economic status.

Ian Wilson

Ian Wilson Consulting Group | Cincinnati, OH

Monthiene Sundara

President, K & S Precision Cut Parts Manufacturing | Ft. Worth, TX

K & S Precision Cut Parts Manufacturing is a minority, woman-owned business founded in September 2004. Today, the machine shop provides CNC machining service to customers in the North Texas aerospace industry.

Michelle Quezada

Owner, L.A. Boys Transport | Compton, CA

Fully owned and operated by a 26-year-old mother of two, L.A. Boys Transport started in 2018 with two trucks and currently operates four box trucks in Southern California. The company is eager to grow and recently switched from operating dry freight to focus on the increasingly relevant refrigerator industry.

Emily Hazelwood

Co-Founder, Blue Latitudes | La Jolla, CA

Blue Latitudes is a women-owned marine environmental consulting firm dedicated to seeking out opportunities for conservation at the intersection of industry and the environment. In 2018, Co-Founder Emily Hazelwood was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her efforts with Blue Latitudes to develop sustainable, creative, and cost-effective solutions for the environmental issues that surround the offshore oil and gas industry.

Fred Samora

Owner, Samora’s Lunch Wagon | Montevideo, MN

For about a decade, Fred Samora’s Lunch Wagon typically would go out for the morning and noon breaks to factories and small businesses in Montevideo, MN. Then he was approached to supply food to the local hospital/clinic for their cafeteria. Today they operate at the clinic from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.with a small breakfast menu and a daily lunch special.

Christina Angell

Co-Founder and Owner, Root Cellar Foods | Belgrade, MT

Root Cellar Foods turns locally grown and organic vegetables into ingredients that both restaurants and retail consumers can use to prepare meals. Farmers do the planting, growing, and harvesting. Root Cellar does the washing, chopping, shredding, and slicing. A new online market increases accessibility of local produce, as well as local meat, dairy, grains, and other value-added items to Montana’s Gallatin Valley community.

Hana Lewkow

Co-Founder, Treehouse Tots Preschool | Culver City, CA

Co-Founders Christi and Hana Lewkow took a leap of faith and opened a boutique nature-based preschool. Treehouse Tots started with two kiddos; within three months, they were completely full. The school continues to be rooted in a deep love for teaching kindness and compassion and embracing a multicultural classroom.

Jorge Ramos

Owner, Barley Hospitality Group | Miami, FL

Barley Hospitality is a story of family and perseverance. Following the financial devastation triggered by the 2008 market collapse, a father and son team ventured into a new industry hoping to bring the family back from financial brink. They shared a love for cooking and people that, combined with hard work, resulted in success. Today they are a neighborhood fixture that brings happiness and good memories to their customers.

Amir Rahnama

Owner, Brentwood Shipping & Mailboxes | Brentwood, CA

Founded in 1991, Brentwood Shipping and Mailbox has served the small but wonderful community of Brentwood, CA by providing essential and much needed shipping services. Owner Amir Rahnama prides himself on treating customers with respect, honesty, and integrity and creating a family-like atmosphere with longtime customers.

Christina Diaz

Co-Owner and Vice President, Affordable Rooter and More | Littleton, CO

Affordable Rooter and More started out in 2005 cleaning grease traps and performing main line repairs for residential customers. By 2008, the business evolved to focus on a hydro-excavation process that cleans culverts, inlets, and valve boxes on state highway and roadway projects, primarily for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Clifford McClain

CEO, Construction Concepts and Design | Charlotte, NC

Construction Concepts and Designis a full-service licensed general contractor firm specializing in commercial and residential projects in Charlotte, NC.

Round 2 Recipients

Kathy Cox

Owner, The Little Mustard Seed | New Baltimore, Michigan

For founder Kathy Cox, starting The Little Mustard Seed was an extension of her “organic” lifestyle, allowing others to experience her passion for healthy living. She serves fresh, healthy, and allergen-sensitive food to her community in New Baltimore, Michigan.

Daniel Foust and Daniel Joseph

Members, FoJo Beans | Hamilton, New York

Starting in a garage in 2012, FoJo Beans, a Veteran-Owned, a
rtisan, coffee roasting business, was named Chenango Co. 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year. Part of the local food movement, FoJo Beans established a reputation at central NY farmer markets by providing specialty-graded, fairly traded, and earth-friendly coffee beans.

Erick Demgen

Owner, 52eighty Distilling | Littleton, Colorado

After becoming complacent and weighed down with the mundane world of finance, founder Erick Demgen decided to start 52eighty Distilling with his brother. 52eighty Distilling uses innovative distilling techniques, locally-sourced ingredients, and crisp Rocky Mountain water to produce the highest quality distilled spirits. Since founding, the company has become an integral part of the community, donating to schools, at risk youth groups, and mentorship programs.

Andrew Shepard

Owner, Oceans Car Wash | Lewisville, Texas

Oceans Car Wash is an express and full service car wash serving Lewisville, Texas and the surrounding areas.

Dalena Huynh

Owner, Nail’d It! Spa | Stanton, California

Dalena Huynh opened her own nail salon in the hopes of providing a space for manicurists to work together as a whole unit. The manicurists at her shop have been working together for over 10 years, and have more than 60 years of combined experience. By fostering a sense of community within the salon, Nail’d It! Spa is so much more than just a salon, it is a family.

Crystal Ross

Owner/CEO, Kids and Adults Therapy Services | Katy, Texas

Kids and Adults Therapy Services is a small private practice in a clinical setting that offers specialized 1:1 therapy interventions. Speech therapy is provided to individuals of all ages with medical diagnosis such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke and brain injury, swallow difficulty, vocal cord injury, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and speech communications disorders, to name a few. They also offer a VIP service in Speech Therapy Management.

Jenny DuFresne

CEO, DuFresne Solutions Group | Austin, Texas

DuFresne Solutions Group is a leadership development and training firm serving clients in the commercial, nonprofit, and government sectors. As a result of working with the firm, mid-level managers build great teams, reduce employee turnover, and build vibrant and happy company culture.

Christina Perla

Co-Founder and CEO, Makelab | New York, New York

Founded by two Pratt industrial design alumni with a passion of making, Makelab strives to free creativity from the messy and technical hassle of maintaining a 3D printing schedule. CEO Christina Perla fosters a community of like-minded, motivated, and passionate people to share a common interest: to create.

Elorm Ahiamadjie

Owner, Delaware Limo | Wilmington, Delaware

Delaware Limo was conceived from the decades of experience in the transportation industry shared by Elorm and his father, George. After saving earnings from driving a taxi alongside his father, Elorm was able to purchase his first luxury black car and provided first-class service throughout Delaware. Elorm and co-founder Allen Yang have since evolved the company into a lasting brand for luxury transportation in Delaware.

Chloe Floyd

Owner, Pyramid Grocery | Atlanta, Georgia

Chloe Floyd founded Pyramid Grocery after realizing a need for fresh produce in Pittsburgh communities. Pyramid Grocery strives to increase the availability of these healthy groceries, especially for communities who lack transportation and/or have physical disabilities that hinder their trips to visit other food markets miles away.

Christopher Wright

Founder/CEO, Whystle | Charlotte, North Carolina

For founder Christopher Wright, Whystle started as the answer to a personal problem: a messy apartment with no time to clean it. He started Whystle with the ideal that scheduling your home cleaning should be as easy as ordering an Uber. Today, Whystle provides transparent prices, no contracts, and easy access through a mobile app that allows people to clean less and live more.

Martha Redbone

BlackFeet Productions | New York, New York

BlackFeet is a multi-faceted music production imprint founded by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby in 1999. They compose, write, produce, perform, release, and license music worldwide. BlackFeet also writes and performs music for radio, TV, and theater. Cultural preservation is fundamental to the creative ethos at BlackFeet as they partner with arts organizations and offer educational workshops and residencies nationwide.

Alvin Shen

Owner, Best Coast Burritos | Emeryville, California

Best Coast Burritos was inspired by California, and their menu is a love letter to some of the most classic Mexican taquerias you will find scattered along the West Coast from San Diego to San Francisco. Best Coast Burritos is your northern California home of the California Burrito, a burrito loaded with fries, meat, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

Wendy Archer

President/CEO, Groshell Logistics | Brandywine, Maryland

Ms. Archer started Groshell Logistics in 2017 in memory of her father. She wanted to expand on the offerings of the family business adding move management and warehouse fulfillment. She has transported buses from Turkey to Orlando, Florida, shipped construction equipment to Puerto Rico, and currently works with one of the nation’s defense contractors shipping satellite components.

Desiree Santiago

Owner, Sway’D StyleLounge | Birmingham, Michigan

Sway’D StyleLounge encompasses a concierge as well as an environment that allows clients to stay on task while indulging in self-care. For example, a client who needs a car wash or a dry cleaner pick-up can have all of this done during the duration of their services. Being a single mother and serial entrepreneur, founder Desiree Santiago understands the true value of time and the need for self-care and getting things done. So, why not do it all at the same time?

William Fields

Owner, Anime Imports | Pacifica, California

William Fields opened Anime Imports in 2001 to sell Japanese anime, video games, and card games to dedicated members of the community. Since then, they’ve expanded to include American and European comic offerings. Their most recent expansion was to start offering escape rooms for team building and fun, adding a new dimension to the business.

Lila Teunissen and Michelle Thomsen

Owners, Bed N Biscuit Ranch | Bismarck, North Dakota

Founders Lila Teunissen and Michelle Thomsen started with their experience volunteering with local animal rescues. They transferred this passion for animal specialty care into their business, Bed N Biscuit Ranch, where they offer a premium selection of care and grooming services for pets.

Jennifer Diana

Owner, JLD-Studios | Portland, Oregon

Started eight years ago, JLD-Studios is now a full-service United States Clothing Manufacturer and D
evelopment Resource for brands of all sizes. The foundation was built on a commitment to customers in quality, speed, and communication. Most recently they’ve turned this focus toward mask making and look forward to a post-COVID-19 world and reintegrating all of their services.

Duane Chan-Shue

Owner, NBHD Brulee | New York, New York

Located in the heart of Harlem, NBHD Brulee is Harlem’s finest new coffee shop priding themselves in uncompromising quality by sourcing ingredients from local suppliers to provide the freshest, highest-quality offerings. NBHD Brulee offers a variety of coffees and teas served in a beautiful vintage setting.

Shannon Sullivan

Co-Founder, Autism Community Store | Aurora, Colorado

The Autism Community Store was a dream that grew from Co-Founder Shannon Sullivan’s family struggles and joys caring for a young child with autism. Upon opening in 2007, the Autism Community Store became the first store in the country to specialize in products for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Tanesha Lambert

Co-owner/Operator, MKH Early Education Center | Aurora, Illinois

MKH Early Education Center supports the whole family in a unique partnership, making sure each child is given the best start — socially, emotionally, and academically. This creates balance in the lives of our families as parents know they can pursue professional goals, guilt-free.

Jennifer Szakaly

Owner, Caregiving Corner | Charlotte, North Carolina

Caregiving Corner was founded with the idea that caregiving could be made easier for families if everyone had access to a healthcare navigator to help them understand the long-term care system. Based in Charlotte, North Caroline, Caregiving Corner has been working with communities of aging and disabled adults to bring them peace of mind.

Annabelle Santos

Founder/CEO, Spadet | New York, New York

Spadet manufactures pure, safe, and all-natural beauty and wellness products using their olive soap or olive glycerin as special ingredients. They utilize a special blend of locally-sourced extra virgin olive oil that undergoes their special cold-process to retain nourishing properties, helping communities who suffer from skin sensitivities.

Dr. Christopher Phang

Owner, Harlem Pediatric Associates | New York, New York

Stemming from a sense of responsibility, Christopher Phang founded Harlem Pediatric Associates to serve his community. Harlem Pediatric Associates was founded in May 2006 to provide access to high-quality pediatric medical care for children living in Central and East Harlem.

Lisselly Brito

Founder/Executive Chef, Hand Crafted Catering | New Rochelle, New York

Hand Crafted was started as a labor of love for local, sustainable ingredients and the powerful impact it has on the community and its individuals. The company began with curated small dinners and has grown into corporate holiday events, corporate executive dinners, mixers, private in-home events, and everything in between.

Daunya Byrd

Owner, Alton’s Old School Barbershop | Dallas, Texas

Alton’s Barbershop is committed to excellence, serving their community by providing a full selection of cuts and shaves. They also serve the barber industry by offering education through the shop.

Joseph Coppola

Owner, Velo Concepts | Culpeper, Virginia

In 2014, Mr. Coppola launched VeloConcepts to bring his love & passion for the bike to Culpeper. Coupled with his over 30 years experience as a fitter, VeloConcepts has quickly become the go-to bike fitter in the Mid Atlantic region, fostering a community of local cyclists.

Tracie Battle

Owner, Smile Center of Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama

Dr. Battle started Smile Center of Huntsville to provide quality dental care and employment opportunities to address the need for services in the area. Smile Center also provides mentorship and learning opportunities.

Mabrico Johnson

Owner, DrugChek Safety Supplies | Palestine, Texas

Founder Mabrico Johnson created his independent company after seeing the need for a professional company that could help other companies and HR managers in the on-boarding of new staff. Today, they assist companies in the employment and retention process.

Dr. Okah Anyokwu

Owner, Avant Behavioral Consultants | Austell, Georgia

Avant Interventional Psychiatry is an outpatient private practice located in Atlanta. They specialize in the treatment of resistant psychiatric disorders, tele-psychiatry, counseling, substance abuse treatment, and TMS Therapy.

Dalila P Bernal Castro

CEO, Mi Escuelita Spanish | Menlo Park, California

Founded in 2008, Mi Escuelita provides care and education in Spanish to children 2 to 5 years old from Menlo Park, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, and other cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Students take part in a preschool curriculum with a 100% Spanish immersion component.

Jay Tsao

Co-Founder, Wire | Los Angeles, California

Wire is a clean tech mobility startup that launched the first-ever nationwide mobility subscription service starting with electric scooters. They are now launching the first-ever cargo seated scooter with cargo e-bikes and moped in the near future. Having developed a growing base of riders across the country, Wire has evolved into a platform democratizing affordable last mile transportation.

Diauna Tyson

Owner, The Cute Shuttle | Atlanta, Georgia

The Cute Shuttle transportation company transports participants during large concerts, festivals, and events all around the city of Atlanta. Today, they provide an eco-friendly transit system that connects its people from point A to B in an environmentally-conscious way.

Yoli Casas

Owner, Yoli’s Training Team | Lakewood, Colorado

YTT works with low-income and marginalized community members to provide the opportunity to engage in healthy and active living. Services range from mental health, emotional wellness, and physical wellness.

Michael Muller

Owner, MullerPhoto | Los Angeles, California

Michael Muller turned his early passion of taking photographs into a business when he started bringing on a team to assist in his creative campaigns. Today, his studio creates content for magazines like Flaunt to Vanity Fair, and numerous movie posters from The Avengers to Inherent Vice.

Round 1 Recipients

Jessica Sotelo

Co-Owner, Symphony String Music Co. | El Paso, Texas

Symphony Strings Music Co. is the first locally owned stringed instrument shop in El Paso, Texas. This is a wife and husband operation that specializes in violin, viola, and cello. It was established to help local students, parents, and teachers find quality instruments and knowledge.

Merin Guthrie

Founder and CEO, Kit | Houston, Texas

As the antidote to standard sizing and throwaway fashion, Kit is a clothing company based in Houston, Texas. Kit is built to serve women looking for high-quality clothing in breathable fabrics that provide a graceful fit. During COVID-19, Kit is pivoting in-house production to deliver reusable cloth masks.

Russell Jackson

Owner and Chef, Reverence | New York, New York

A seminal figure in San Francisco’s underground dining scene, influential chef-owner Russell Jackson (Bravo TV’s Going Off the Menu) came to New York in 2019 and established Reverence. This is his fine-dining destination in Harlem, where patrons can explore the flavors of Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Beth Gadbois

Owner, The Body Lounge | Stowe, Vermont

Located in Stowe, Vermont, The Body Lounge is a natural bath and body shop that balances upscale style with a colorful, fun vibe. Since opening in 2005, its in-house brand has garnered a loyal following and is now offered in nearly 200 stores throughout the Northeast.

Jessica Minnick

Co-Founder, Not Sorry Apparel | Detroit, Michigan

Established in Detroit, Michigan, Not Sorry Apparel is an eco-friendly lifestyle brand created to combat the growing fast fashion problem. By re-constructing vintage and upcycling preloved garments, they provide unique, sustainable, and affordable pieces customers can feel good about wearing.

Adrienne Stewart-Gordon

Managing Member, Pound Cake Society | Los Angeles, California

Pound Cake Society is a Los Angeles based apparel company co-founded by Adrienne Gordon. The company’s luxury sleep/loungewear collection was scheduled for a Spring 2020 debut at Nordstrom.com. Now they’ve pivoted their business and retooled to produce PPE face masks for health care workers.

Melody Li

Co-Founder, Austin Counseling Collective | Austin, Texas

Fueled by her passion to bring mental health care to the underserved, Melody co-founded Austin Counseling Collective in Austin, Texas. This boldly inclusive group therapy community is committed to its mission of “Embracing Diversity” for people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, those with disabilities, low-income populations, and other marginalized groups.

Krystel Finley

CEO and Co-Founder, Brief Homes | Miami, Florida

Founded in Miami, Florida, Brief Homes bridges the gap between hotels and short term rentals with unique vacation rental spaces. Krys’ company provides curated cultural and community experiences that celebrate the diversity of South Florida.

Kate Gonzalez

Owner, Global Cafe | Lawrence, Kansas

With a penny and a dream, Kate Gonzalez opened the Global Cafe in her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. She and her staff infuse their Midwestern, Mexican, and Venezuelan heritage into their unique cuisine, serving up fresh, healthy, locally-sourced foods for the community.

Stanella “Stella” Victor

Owner, Fix My Repairs | Atlanta, Georgia

Fix My Repairs started with a handyman and business school graduate who decided to merge their strengths and form a skilled trades company in Atlanta. As client demand increased, they hired subcontractors to keep up with demand. Now they train, mentor, and hire young adults, minorities, and women in the construction industry.

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