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June 2020

It is with deep sadness that we reflect upon the tragic death of George Floyd and countless others who have been the victims of police brutality, social injustice, and racism.

We stand with the Black community and it is our responsibility to be part of the solution. To read more about our Message on George Floyd and #BlackLivesMatter as well as ways to support Black owned businesses, click here. If you have additional resources to share, please email or tag us @EnvolveGlobal on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

We are also proud to work in an entrepreneurial ecosystem with so many amazing organizations that serve communities of color. Check out the work our friends and partners are doing and see how you can contribute to making a difference.

And of course, we have an amazing group of Envolve Award USA winners that you can support as well! Check out the winners and finalists from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycles of our Award program. 

We're also hiring! We are seeking an energetic self starter to serve as a Program Manager to support and execute our programming. The candidate should have basic knowledge in small business issues and in community/outreach engagement. Envolve seeks an individual with passion for philanthropy and advocacy who is comfortable with the dynamic nature of a startup/nonprofit environment. For more information and to apply, click here! Please let us know in your cover letter if you found out about this opportunity from our newsletter or network.

#GetEnvolved

At its core, the spirit of entrepreneurship compels us to innovate and spark change. Every day we see founders creating pathways to their dreams and positive change in their communities. However, vulnerable communities experience a disproportionate lack of access to the key tools for starting a business, especially regarding funding and opportunity. Now more than ever, we have a collective responsibility to support communities of color in building a more equitable society. 

Envolve was founded to help diverse, underserved communities access resources, advice, and support services to pursue their business dreams. Organizations such as ours are here to do our part and we support diverse entrepreneurs in their efforts to live their dream or by very simply addressing a gap in the entrepreneurship landscape. When we all work together, we all win. We ask you to support Envolve and work together to support the underserved, yet equally worthy, entrepreneurs in our communities. Please consider a donation today. You can also #GetEnvolved by becoming a resource or programming partner or offering in-kind support such as mentorship.

EDUCATION

One of our Envolve Award winners, Court Buddy, has put together a Legal Insights Blog to address current events and common questions from their users. Recent blog posts and article features have addressed topics ranging from rent relief, student loans, to protestor rights. We not only encourage you to visit their site, but also be on the lookout for future, free Legal Meet-Ups!

RESOURCES

Qurate Retail Group launched their Small Business Spotlight initiative, in partnership with the National Retail Federation (NFR) Foundation, to shine a light on small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Together, they are now looking to expand the success and reach of the Spotlight program and aid in the fight against racial injustice. The next wave of the Spotlight program will highlight 20 Black-owned small businesses with exceptional stories to showcase on Qurate Retail Group platforms over a 10 week period over the course of this summer and fall across on-air, digital, and social platforms. For more information about this opportunity and key criteria, please click here. The expression of interest deadline is July 13, 2020.

AWARDS

USA Grantee Spotlight

Rosa Garcia has been the owner of Mott Haven Bar and Grill for the past six years. Since being an owner, she has faced many challenges from Hurricane Sandy, landlord issues to now COVID-19. Despite these obstacles, Rosa remains committed to serving her community and supporting her team.

Mott Haven Bar was able to operate as a food distribution center by connecting with World Central Kitchen to provide food to various centers in the Bronx for children and families. This has helped Mott Haven Bar address an immediate need for food security while also providing work for a few staff members of the restaurant. As part of their partnership with Chef Kwame Onwuachi, the Bronx Community Relief Effort, World Central Kitchen, and the Bronx Private Investment Council, and Here to Here, Mott Haven Bar has recently expanded their efforts to support students and provide more meals to first responders and healthcare workers. Mott Haven Bar also partnered with Frontline Foods to provide a bag of produce on June 15th for anyone in need. To learn more about Rosa and her journey, check out this video feature!

Mott Haven Bar is seeking to raise money to help purchase food, hire more of their staff in the kitchen, and be able to operate at close to normal hours for deliveries. If you’d like to support, please visit their GoFundMe page! And if you live in New York City, you can arrange a pickup order or enjoy their outdoor seating from Monday through Friday, 12:00pm-5:00pm.

Our Universe

One of our Envolve Award Winners, The Lit. Bar, was recently featured in The Cut. Noëlle Santos, Proprietress of The Lit. Bar, the only independent bookshop in the Bronx, was forced to close down her storefront only ten months after opening due to COVID. To keep up sales, The Lit. Bar partnered with Bookshop.org to manage their fulfillment and customer service online. Click here to read more, especially how Noëlle is trying to help by serving on the mayor’s Small Business Sector Advisory Council to ensure her community isn’t invisible. If you’d like to support The Lit. Bar, make your next book purchase through their Bookshop page and stay tuned on social media for their reopening!

Another Envolve Award Winner, SOP Technologies, was recently featured on From a Startup with SOLIDWORKS series. SOP Technologies is an environmental technology company based in Miami, FL. SOP stands for “Stop Ocean Pollution,” and the company provides communities with cost-efficient technologies to benefit the environment and protect public health. Click here to watch the recording where the Founder, Emilio Lopez, shares how SOP Technologies went from an idea to an environmental startup.

We’d also like to recognize two more Envolve Award Winners, Totem Agency and Film Connx, for being recently accepted into the Zane Venture Fund’s Inaugural Pre-Capital Program, which provides twelve weeks of curated, virtual programming for diverse founders from New York and the southeast region of the US. The first cohort was chosen from an extremely competitive pool and were selected based on multiple factors including predicting growth and investment potential and their ongoing success as an early-stage company.

Congratulations to our sister program in Greece for announcing their 7th Envolve Award Greece finalists! The ten finalists represent a wide range of sectors, from digital services, fashion, health, hospitality & tourism and more. In addition to the Award, finalists are eligible for the #GetEnvolved Award, where the public votes for their favorite finalists based on pitch videos through Envolve Greece’s Facebook and Instagram channels. To learn more about the finalists, check out the recent press release! The winners of the 7th Envolve Award Greece and the #GetEnvolved Award will be declared next month.

Friends in the Ecosystem

Officially launching this summer, REUNION is a platform that reinvents the friends and family round of funding for entrepreneurs of color. Envolve is proud to be a partner in this project that addresses the gaps in access to capital that many minority founders face. Stay tuned for more updates!

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