Kalenna Ginyard

The gener8tor gALPHA program will provide product ideas, mentorship and coaching to teams of participants and then work with startups individually for one month to help them develop an innovative and marketable product or solution.  Applications are being accepted through November 28th!  To read the full article, click here to go to GrowCo's website!

The City of Columbia's Office of Business Opportunities would like to congratulate Karen R. Jenkins, President and CEO of KRJ Consulting being named as the Chair-Elect to the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.  Mrs. Jenkins will be the first African American woman to hold this position! To read more and watch her interview for A Seat At The Table, go to WLTX News 19's webpage!

  Macy's, the largest department store in the United States, announced its partnership with Momentus Capital to invest money into three funding channels that will support businesses in retail ran by underrepresented groups.  The total financing for these programs is estimated to be $200 million. To read more on this article, go to Black Enteprise's webpage!  

Philanthropist Steve Ballmer, owner of the National Basketball League's (NBA) Los Angeles Clippers, will invest $400 million to support Black owned businesses.  To read more on this story, click here to go to Fortune.com to read more!

According to the 2022 Women & Minority Business Owner Spotlight, a new report shows that 66% of business owners expect revenue to increase.  Also, 83% plan to obtain funding for their business (up from 70% this spring).  In addition, 77% of entrepreneurs say their business is equipped to survive a recession.  To read more, go to the Black Enterprise website.

Richland Library in partnership with the City of Columbia's Office of Business Opportunities announce this year's  Summer Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) is Mrs. Lasenta Lewis-Ellis!  Lasenta is the president and CEO of LLE Construction Group, LLC and specializes in owner's representation in general construction and contracting, construction and project management, and facility support services.  During her residency as EiR, she will share her "Sidepreneurship" expertise with entrepreneurs and small business owners through an array of free programs…

(Photo courtesy of Black Enterprise and U.S. Small Business Administration) U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) with President Reuben A. Shelton, III, Esq., on behalf of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)’s Council of Presidents, comprised of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities (the "Divine Nine") to bring SBA's valuable small business resources into reach for many small businesses and entrepreneurs.  This memorandum furthers the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment…

JPMorgan Chase announced an expanded five-year, $30 million commitment to the financial and career success of students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  This commitment expands on the firm's Advancing Black Pathways initiative which launched in 2019 to chart clearer pathways toward economic success and empowerment within the Black community. To read more on this announcement, click here to go to the JPMorgan Chase news announcement webpage!

For those of you whose business is registered with the federal government, please read the post below from the Alliance of Supplier Diversity Professionals (ASDP): On April 4, 2022, the Federal government transitioned from DUNS numbers to Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI). As a result, vendors will no longer have to obtain or maintain a DUNS number before registering in the System for Award Management (SAM). This change, however, doesn’t mean you should toss your DUNS…