The Enterprise Center

Rejoice, West Philly: Kilimandjaro is back in business at 4301 Chestnut! Representatives from local civic, government, business, and cultural institutions all converged on Kilimandjaro restaurant this past Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of Youma Aisse Ba's beloved Senegalese restaurant Kilimandjaro alongside Youma's family and closest friends. The Enterprise Center's TEC Capital team was honored to be included in the festivities, emceed by the AFRICAN & CARIBBEAN BUSINESS COUNCIL, as we provided Kilimandjaro with a $150,000 loan to help them fit out their new space. As TEC Capital head Ian Lawrence said during the ribbon cutting remarks: "Kilimandjaro embodies what The Enterprise Center is all about: Youma immigrated from Africa and poured her heart, soul, and dreams into this restaurant that is integral to the community as well as the legacy that she's building for her family." In recognition of this special day, Youma was honored with citations from PA State Senator Sharif Street and Congressman Dwight Evans as well as a President's Volunteer Service award in recognition for Youma's decades of volunteerism on behalf of the pan-African community. Congratulations, Youma, and the entire team at Kilimandjaro! #senegal #africa #immigrantowned #blackowned #panafrica #philadelphia #smallbusiness

Congratulations to our Visionary Pitch Competition winner Aasiyah Abdulsalam of The Renatural, who just won a $50,000 grant and mentorship from Glossier, Inc. ! #blackownedbusiness #smallbusiness #glossier

Roughly 9% of available construction businesses in New Jersey are Black-owned, yet less than 0.14% of available construction contract dollars are spent on Black-owned businesses. Latino-owned businesses face similar results, continually being underrepresented in awarded contracts. On New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA)'s “Think Tank”, Steve Adubato ON THE AIR discusses with NJ’s top business leaders the challenges minority-owned businesses face securing state contracts, and strategies that both state government and local businesses can take to bridge the gap. The panel includes Marjorie Perry, President and CEO of MZM Construction Co. Inc, Carlos Medina, President of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ, and Dr. Denise Anderson, CEO of Denise Anderson & Associates, LLC. Let us know what your thoughts are about what work needs to be done to put local NJ businesses in the forefront of state contracts. Watch the full discussion https://hubs.la/Q02PHXnK0

Have you had the chance to fill out our Stakeholder Survey for our next Master Growth Plan? If you haven't, please do so ASAP: we've extended the deadline to close of business on 9/6! Access survey here: https://lnkd.in/eSiPymdj The Enterprise Center (TEC) is embarking on an exciting journey to craft our Master Growth Plan, setting the course for the next 3-5 years—and we want your voice to be part of it! We’ve created a brief, anonymous survey, taking just 8-10 minutes of your time, to gather your valuable insights. Your feedback will directly impact our strategic direction and priorities for innovation. Complete the survey by Friday, September 6th, and as a thank you, you'll have the chance to enter a drawing for a gift card! Rest assured; your responses will remain entirely confidential. Partnering with Baker Tilly Advisory Group and P3 Development Group, we’re committed to ensuring all voices—businesses, entrepreneurs, residents, and partners—are heard. Thank you for shaping TEC's future!

The Enterprise Center (TEC) is embarking on an exciting journey to craft our Master Growth Plan, setting the course for the next 3-5 years—and we want your voice to be part of it! We’ve created a brief, anonymous survey, taking just 8-10 minutes of your time, to gather your valuable insights. Your feedback will directly impact our strategic direction and priorities for innovation. Complete the survey by Friday, August 30, and as a thank you, you'll have the chance to enter a drawing for a gift card! Rest assured; your responses will remain entirely confidential. Partnering with Baker Tilly Advisory Group and P3 Development Group, we’re committed to ensuring all voices—businesses, entrepreneurs, residents, and partners—are heard. Thank you for shaping TEC's future! Access the survey here: https://lnkd.in/eSiPymdj Let’s build together!

August is National Black Business Month, an opportunity to support and celebrate Black-owned businesses. The Forum encourages you to check out these Philadelphia Black-owned businesses highlighted in a listicle by Visit Philadelphia over the weekend! https://lnkd.in/gEvupEAT

Welcome to The Enterprise Center, Howard Brown! Howard is the new Project Director for our Minority Business Development Agency - U.S. Department of Commerce Pennsylvania Business Center. He brings a varied background to our team that includes both for-profit and non-profit business service providers (Goldman Sachs, Temple University Small Business Development Center) as well as a strong desire to use his expertise for the good of our small business community. "We are pleased to welcome a recognized expert in economic development and entrepreneurship to lead our MBDA Business Center in Pennsylvania,” says Della Clark, our Capital Revolutionary. Read more in Technical.ly: https://lnkd.in/eA7nmdQZ #philadelphia #newhire #smallbusiness

This is a big deal! Congratulations to African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE member and Small Business of the Year 2023, EMSCO Scientific Enterprise, Inc., and the Innovate Growth Capital Fund. Access to Capital (non-debt) allows businesses to grow and scale adding more jobs, community engagement, solutions to problems, and strengthening our overall regional economy. #NationalBlackBusinessMonth #Blackbiz

This morning we had a packed house for a Small Business Town Hall. Small business owners gathered to meet and connect with representatives from the Philadelphia Department of Commerce, the African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE, The Enterprise Center, SCORE Mentors Philadelphia, LA21 21st Century Business Association CDC, and the Baltimore Avenue Business Association to discuss topics including grants and loans, available supports, small business mentorship, bookkeeping, and more. If you'd like to sign up for future small business events, please send us an email to [email protected] to be added to our outreach list!

The hits keep on coming! TEC Capital just invested $250,000 in TracFlo, led by Khalid David. Headquartered in New York City, Tracflo is an online financial tool designed to help contractors manage project risk. It provides a central location to create, track, and maintain all costs associated with construction projects – from initial award, change orders, allowances, monthly billing, all the way to project closeout. Congratulations, Tracflo! TEC Capital is investing seed capital in up-and-coming diverse firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. As you're building your business, consider adding equity capital to your capital stack early on so that you can invest in growth instead of focusing on repaying debt. Curious about accessing our seed capital? Visit our website: https://lnkd.in/efsxtJ6A #equitycapital #seedcapital #seedround #philadelphia #smallbusiness #newyorkcity #blackbusinessmonth #blackowned