Inclusive Entrepreneurship is Key to Building Great Companies
Great companies start with great teams. Today we share exciting progress in our work to expand Inclusive Entrepreneurship and break down barriers for women and entrepreneurs of color with the launch of the Rev1 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Grant Fund and positive momentum for our Grow to Scale Mentor Program.
High growth companies with diverse founders and leadership teams out-perform their peers. However, there are distinct challenges that prevent women and entrepreneurs of color from starting and growing a company – including lack of access to friends and family funding and a network of experienced, culturally competent mentors.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Grant Fund, seeded by Rev1, Franklin County and the City of Columbus, provides financial support to diverse founders who may not have access to early friends and family funding. The initial $600,000 grant fund is just the beginning. We will work with our private sector partners to expand this effort by building and funding a pipeline of diverse-led companies.
The Grow to Scale Mentor Program was created to match founders with experienced, culturally competent mentors who can provide support, advice and an expanded network of relevant connections.
We view inclusiveness as a goal across all our programs and partnerships, ingrained in everything we do. These initiatives are just steppingstones and we are excited to continuing sharing the growth of our efforts to make entrepreneurship more inclusive and accessible.
