Mountain
BizWorks (MBW) has selected 15 small businesses in the region with strong
potential for growth and job creation to participate in the third cohort of
their ScaleUp WNC program, which began last Friday. The initiative, made
possible with financing from the U.S. Small Business Administration, aims to
provide these entrepreneurs with intensive growth strategy development,
mentorship, access-to-capital support, and a rich network of peer business
owners.
ScaleUp WNC launched in 2015, and funding
will allow the nonprofit to continue hosting two cohorts annually through 2019.
MBW says the end result of the high-impact initiative will be a diverse and
distinguished group of entrepreneurs able to drive innovation and economic
development across WNC for a long time to come. Thirty companies completed the
program in 2015. To date, one-third of those alumni have already secured growth
capital, and many more have met other major milestones—a testament to ScaleUp
WNC’s design and curriculum.
“We’ve been pleased with the
outcomes of the program to date,” shares Matt Raker, director of community
investments and impact at MBW. “It has provided and will continue to provide
much-needed support to area ventures that are primed for expansion, so that
they can experience sustained success while creating jobs and making a positive
impact on our local economy.”
The 2016 ScaleUp WNC Cohort 3
participating businesses are: Black Mountain Ciderworks (Black Mountain), Blue
Ridge Energy Works (Boone), Brian Boggs Chairmakers (Asheville), Copper Pot
& Wooden Spoon (Waynesville), East Fork Pottery (Marshall), Innovation
Brewing (Sylva), Kudzu Brands (Black Mountain), Medea’s Espresso & Juice
Bar (Arden), No Evil Foods (Asheville), Organic Planet Cleaning (Asheville),
Outfitter Bicycle Tours (Hendersonville), Pisgah Pest Control (Brevard), Port
City Amplification (Swannanoa), Printville (Asheville), and Still Point
Wellness (Asheville).
“In year one, we helped businesses
scale from Boone to Bryson City, and we’re excited to work with companies from
seven WNC counties this spring,” says Raker. “We’re also pleased that
two-thirds of the businesses are women-owned, minority-owned, or based in a
rural community, as our mission is to create economic opportunity for all.”
MBW has received more than 45
applications for the 2016 program. Cohort 3 began Friday, March 4, and runs
through mid-May. The following cohort will run from June through September. Applications
are continuing to be accepted for Cohort 4 and are due by April 17.
More information about the program—including
the application and details about Cohort 3 participants and 2015 alumni—can be
found at scaleupwnc.com.
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