Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab
NEL pairs community business owners with investors, advisors, project strategists, community liaisons, and corporate liaisons who provide intensive support for nine months to help execute a growth initiative for each business. A4CB invites each NEL participant based on previous success in running or supporting a small business.
Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab Overview
Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab Roles
Every participant must contribute to the success of the community businesses in the Lab.
Community Business Owner
Propose the growth initiative they wish to execute and owns the results of the Lab.
Allies for Community Business
Carefully selects the Lab participants, creates the nine-month content sequence, and manages the cohort overall.
Investor
Contribute to a pool of funds from which each entrepreneur receives a $20,000 grant to support the growth initiative.
Project Advisor
Offer introductions to influential contacts within their personal networks, and oversee a small group of entrepreneurs and strategists who work together to execute the chosen growth initiatives.
Project Strategist
Serves as the primary consultant for the business project of one entrepreneur participating in the Lab.
Community Partner
Help A4CB identify potential business owners for the Lab, prepare selected community businesses, and encourage Lab participants to find additional resources for community businesses.
Corporate Partner
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 Supporter
Connect A4CB leadership to community business owners, investors, advisors, strategists, community liaisons, and corporate liaisons that could potentially participate in future Labs.
The entire team holds each other accountable for the success of the business throughout the Lab and beyond. Learn more about the roles within the Lab here.
Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab Goals
By the end of each nine-month Lab:

Each community business owner will launch his or her growth initiative and apply early lessons from the initial experience

Each advisor will create at least two valuable business connections for the community business owners in the Lab

All participants will rate the experience as at least a 9 on a 10-point scale
Two years after the Lab concludes:

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

Each investor, advisor, strategist, and liaison will have referred at least two people that A4CB has then selected to participate in at least one Lab
Current and Previous Lab Businesses





