Three Local Ventures Will Receive $15K in Loan Funds From Start:ME Spartanburg
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 10:00 am
Three local businesses will share $15,000 in peer-based loan funds as part of the Start:ME Spartanburg program, a partnership between The University of South Carolina Upstate’s George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics (JCBE) and the Northside Development Group. Winners of the loans will be announced on May 1, 2021, at the fifth annual Start:ME Graduation and Showcase. During the past 14 weeks, 14 promising micro-entrepreneurs in Spartanburg’s Northside community completed an extensive mentoring and business training program offered through the Start:ME program.
The Start:ME program provides business training, mentorship, and early-stage financing to promising micro-entrepreneurs (those with 1-4 employees) to develop viable and sustainable businesses. Entrepreneurs supported one another while competing for peer-selected loan funds from a $15,000 pool.
The entrepreneurs selected to receive peer-selected loan capital to help grow their businesses will be announced on Saturday, May 1, at the Start:ME Graduation and Showcase at the Hub City Farmers’ Market at 489 Howard St. near downtown Spartanburg. Start:ME entrepreneurs will sell their goods and services at the market from 8 a.m. to noon. The graduation ceremony will begin at 9 a.m.
In addition, awards for Pitchitorian, Community Impact, Peer of the Year, and Alumni of the Year will be awarded.
Micro-businesses represented in the 2021 Start:ME Spartanburg Cohort include professional concession and catering services, beauty products and services, medical billing services, boutique clothing, personalized gifts, books, and more. Thirty dedicated mentors volunteered from many local businesses, including Grace Management Group, Milliken & Co., TD Bank, Michelin North America, United Way of the Piedmont, and Start:ME Spartanburg alumni companies.
The program is offered annually by the JCBE in partnership with the Northside Development Group. Other local partners, including the Northside Voyagers, Spartanburg School District 7, Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union, and CommunityWorks Carolina, played critical roles in supporting Start:ME entrepreneurs.
The year’s cohort marks the fifth year of the Start:ME program in Spartanburg’s Northside. To date, the program has supported more than 70 local businesses and awarded nearly $100,000 in capital investment to the community through peer-selected loans and matched savings.
The national Start:ME network includes programs run in five neighborhoods in Spartanburg, Atlanta, and Cincinnati. Nationally, Start:ME has supported more than 375 micro-entrepreneurs and awarded more than 50 start-up loans and grants.
For more information about Start:ME Spartanburg, please visit www.startmespartanburg.com.
2021 Cohort Stats & Facts
- 14 micro-entrepreneurs representing 14 different micro-business ventures
- 100% women
- 100% minority-owned
- $15,000 loan investment pool allocated based on peer-selection
- 30 Spartanburg business leaders serving as mentors / coaches
- 14 weeks of programming (meets once per week) from January through April
Start:ME Spartanburg Impact Stats & Facts
- 75 micro-entrepreneurs representing 71 different micro-business ventures
- 77% women-owned
- 99% minority-owned
- $75,000 peer-selected loan investments awarded
- > 100 jobs created or retained
- > 70 Spartanburg business leaders serving as mentors / coaches
- 8 brick-and-mortar location grand openings for alumni entrepreneurs
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About USC Upstate
The University of South Carolina Upstate is a regional comprehensive university offering more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business administration, nursing, and education. Located along the I-85 corridor in Spartanburg between Greenville and Charlotte, USC Upstate is ranked by U.S. News & World Report at No. 1 among Top Public Schools in the South. It serves as a major talent producer for the region, with more than 6,000 students, approximately 1,300 new graduates a year, and nearly 30,000 alumni, many of whom live and work in the state. The USC Upstate Spartans compete in 15 NCAA Division 1 sports as a member of the Big South Conference. For more information, visit www.uscupstate.edu.
About the George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics
The mission of the Johnson College of Business and Economics is to educate students and engage in strategic partnerships to enhance the economic development of the Upstate. In support of this mission, our strategy is to deliver an excellent business education, graduate students prepared to lead successful organizations, promote impactful teaching and research in business, and engage in strategic partnerships with the Upstate business community.
About Northside Development Group
The Northside Development Group (NDG) is 501 c 3 non-profit organization made up of a diverse group of people investing time, talent, and dollars for a safe and strong Northside Community. NDG serves to encourage and manage the redevelopment of the City of Spartanburg’s Northside community, honoring its past and expanding the economic, educational, recreational, health, and social opportunities for its residents.
About Start:ME Spartanburg
The George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics works with the Northside Development Group, CommunityWorks SC, and Cleveland Academy of Leadership to support micro-entrepreneurs in the Northside community of Spartanburg, South Carolina, since 2017.