Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab

The Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab is a three-month program that provides community business owners with project advisors, project strategists, community partners, and corporate partners who provide intensive support to help execute a growth initiative for each business. Each participant receives a $20,000 grant, expert coaching, and new connections that help them scale their business.

NEL Outcomes

Two years after starting NEL, NEL graduates report*:

Average number of employees increased by

45%

Average revenue increased by

212%

Average profit increased by

$10.5K

* Inclusive of one business with exceptional growth

Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab Roles

Every participant must contribute to the success of the community businesses in the Lab.

Community Business Owners

Propose the growth initiative they wish to execute and own the outcomes from the Lab for their businesses.

Allies for Community Business

Selects the Lab participants, creates the content sequence, and manages the cohort overall.

Investors

Contribute to a pool of funds from which each community business owner receives a $20,000 grant to support their growth initiative.

Project Advisors

Offer introductions to influential contacts within their personal networks, provide classroom content to all community business owners, and oversee a small group of entrepreneurs and project strategists who work together to design and begin implementing their chosen growth strategies.

Project Strategists

Help individual community business owners maximize the immersive experience and stay on track to complete growth plan deliverables on time.

Community Partners

Help A4CB identify potential business owners for the Lab and prepare selected community businesses.

Corporate Partners

Help A4CB identify potential project strategists, match corporate procurement needs to NEL businesses who can supply those goods and services locally, and provide grant funds to support the program.

Lab Supporters

Connect A4CB leadership to community business owners, investors, project advisors, project strategists, community partners, and corporate partners that could potentially participate in future Labs.

The entire team holds each other accountable for the success of the businesses throughout the Lab and beyond.

Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab Goals

By the end of each Lab:

Each community business owner will complete a growth strategy and will begin to execute that strategy

Each project advisor and project strategist will create at least one valuable business connection for one or more Lab participants

Two years after the Lab concludes:

Each community business owner will have increased revenues by at least 20% relative to the year during which the Lab began

Each community business owner will have increased headcount by at least one employee relative to the year during which the Lab began

Current and Previous Lab Businesses

Tidy Up Experts James and Jasney Diggs

The Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab allowed our business to make lasting connections [and] offered our company tools for growth.
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Amazing Edibles Andrea Herrera

There was a lot of learning and support at a time when it felt like the world was not in my corner.
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Urban Roots Inc. Jimmie and Tiffany Williams

It was an amazing experience to learn different strategies we needed to grow the business.
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