Start:ME 2024 ends with a blast!

The culmination of Start:ME 2024 was electrifying! We gathered on May 16th alongside entrepreneurs from all three cohorts, mentors, friends, and fans to cheer on the tremendous graduates. More than a dozen small business owners from the Southside walked away with more that $15,000 in prizes that will accelerate their business growth, and in turn the carefully-tailored amenities available to residents of Southside neighborhoods.

Start:ME is a 14-week training program that empowers entrepreneurs with the tools, connections and capital they’ll need to be successful. Over the last several years, Start:ME has served 395 businesses that have generated $19.5M in annual revenue and created or retained 722 jobs. Wow! Every year, we are more and more thankful and energized by this opportunity, which we offer in partnership with Purpose Built Schools Atlanta and Emory Goizueta Business School. This year, that meant we reviewed over 60 applications and selected a group of qualifying applicants for interviews, recruited mentors, participated in Neighborhood Feedback Night, and much more!

Every year, the graduation ceremony offers unique opportunities to recognize the cohort members’ hard work and come alongside their next phase of business! As part of the evening, Start:ME provides grants as seed funding to select participants from the cohort who excelled in community impact, a stellar business pitch, or exceptional business ideas. Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator Mikayla Santos announced the Southside winner of the Community Impact Award, which honors a small business in each cohort that makes a clear positive impact on their neighbors.

Here are the winners we celebrated this year from the Southside:

Start:ME Growth Grants of up to $5,000

•Ashley of Nguzo Babies

•Meagan of Culturally Relevant Science

Start:ME Start Grants of up to $3,000

•Jeremiah of Immutable Access

•Sioux of Sole Renew

•Tonya of Tonluvs2styl (Southside)

Community Impact, Peer-of-the-Year, and Resilience Awards of $500

•April of Styles by Aprillove Salon

•Dedra of There’s Hope

•Mia of H.A.R.M.O.N.I.C. Therapeutic & Healing Services

Even as we celebrate these individual entrepreneurs, we recognize that promoting a vibrant local economy is a collective effort.

“Entrepreneurship is a team sport — it truly takes family, friends, peers, mentors, partners, supporters, and investors to be successful. Thank you for being part of our team,” said one of the entrepreneurs upon receiving her award.

At FCS, we echo the words of this entrepreneur and stand ready to come alongside these Southside businesses. We cannot wait to see what they do next!

If you want to support a more equitable, diverse, and abundant local economy on Atlanta’s Southside, be sure to explore the Start:ME Shopping guide and pick a few of the businesses to check out as a customer. Your patronage can contribute to a neighborhood full of access, opportunity, and belonging.