The 2026 Southside cohort of Start:ME is officially underway, marking FCS’s ninth year of investing in local entrepreneurs. In partnership with Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, this free 14-week business accelerator program equips neighborhood-based small businesses with the tools, connections, and capital needed to grow and thrive.
What started in 2018 has become a powerful catalyst for neighborhood economic vitality.
A Snapshot of Start:ME Southside Impact
Since launching in 2018, Start:ME Southside has built a strong track record of equipping entrepreneurs and strengthening community-rooted businesses.
- Year participation began: 2018
- Cohorts held to date: 8
- Average participants per cohort: 16
- Businesses launched or strengthened: 125
- Capital awarded through Start:ME Southside: $101,000
- Overall capital accessed by participants: $5.5 million
- Brick & Mortar locations: 25
- Jobs created or retained: 276
- 91% of companies owned by people of color
- 80% of companies owned by women
These aren’t just numbers. They represent families building stability, neighbors creating opportunity, and local leaders shaping the future of their communities.
Meet the 2026 Cohort
This year, 20 ventures were selected for Start:ME Southside, including three Purpose Built Schools Atlanta parents and an FCS team member. The cohort reflects both readiness and resilience:
- 90% are incorporated
- 75% report sales in 2025
- 65% are led by individuals from low-to-moderate income households
From food and beverage businesses to creative arts ventures, professional services, retail, home improvement, education, agriculture, and wellness, this year’s cohort reflects the diversity and talent already present in Southside neighborhoods.
The impact of Start:ME goes beyond business plans and financial projections. It reshapes how entrepreneurs see themselves and what’s possible.
“Start:ME has been an experience of courageous vulnerability. It has been inviting, educational, and extremely purposeful.”
— F. Murray Ford, Self Promises, LLC
“Start:ME has centered me and shifted my mindset into already being a successful business owner, not becoming one. I’ve learned more in three sessions about my business as an owner than actually working in the business.”
— Tanisha O’Neal, Sumthin Sweet Confections, LLC
That transformation from uncertainty to ownership is one of the most powerful outcomes of the program.
Long-term Impact
One of the clearest signs of long-term impact is that entrepreneurs who once participated are now mentoring the next cohort.
This year, we have 23 mentors:
- 15 returning mentors
- 8 new mentors
- 8 Start:ME alumni serving as mentors
For many, mentoring is a way to give back to the community that once supported them. In a recent Emory Business article, RaKya, co-founder of HUMBLE Tutoring and a 2025 Southside alum, shared:
“Start:ME was a pivotal experience for me, not only because of the grant support, but because of the sense of community, accountability, and mentorship that the program fostered. Volunteering as a mentor now feels like a natural extension of what I received as a participant.”
Strong neighborhood ecosystems are built when opportunity circles back, when learners become leaders and leaders become champions for others.
Why It Matters
By investing in neighborhood entrepreneurs, FCS is helping cultivate an economy rooted in local leadership, resilience, and shared prosperity.
When small businesses grow:
- Jobs are created.
- Wealth stays in the neighborhood.
- Families build stability.
- Communities shape their own economic future.
Nine years in, Start:ME Southside continues to prove that when you invest in people, the ripple effects extend far beyond a single business.
