Peter Roberts, PhD, Professor of Organization & Management at Emory University and Erin Igleheart, Director of the Start:ME Accelerator, Goizueta Business School
“Microbusinesses Creating Social Vitality in Atlanta’s Underserved Communities”
This presentation will speak to the oversized impact of microbusinesses in community economic and social vitality. Dr. Peter Roberts, Professor of Organization and Management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, will describe the pronounced microbusiness gaps observed in marginalized neighborhoods across the US, as well as the likely causes and effects of those gaps. Then, Erin Igleheart, Director of the Start:ME program at Goizueta, will describe how the program works within several Atlanta communities by engaging participating program mentors and entrepreneurs. Founded in 2013, the Start MicroEnterprise Accelerator Program (Start:ME) strengthens underserved communities in metro Atlanta by empowering entrepreneurs within them to start and grow resilient microbusinesses. When local microbusinesses thrive - generating income, creating jobs, occupying spaces, and providing role models - their neighborhoods thrive as well. While entrepreneurial potential is uniformly distributed, access to knowledge, networks, and capital is not. Start:ME operates 3-month, place-based programs providing business training, mentorship, and grant investment capital. To date, the program has served 351 microbusinesses around Atlanta - 62% led by individuals from low-to-moderate income households, 71% led by women, and 81% led by people of color. We have also invested $322,000 in peer-selected capital. Collectively, Start:ME alumni companies support 566 jobs and $14.7 million in annual revenue. To support Start:ME’s success, Goizueta Business School partners with trusted, nonprofit quarterbacks operating in and serving communities, including Friends of Refugees in Clarkston, East Lake Foundation in East Lake, and Focused Community Strategies and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta in Atlanta’s Southside. Alongside these community partners, coalitions of business associations, civic officials, housing providers, neighborhood associations, nonprofits, and schools ensure that Start:ME programs are truly local and embedded. This allows us to build ecosystems, while supporting businesses that enhance communities. |