Over the past decade, many women have taken advantage of a favorable entrepreneurial environment in the City of Atlanta and have managed to start successful business ventures. Many organizations, as well as corporations, have continuously seen the need of providing resources and tools for aspiring female innovators who are willing to put their business ideas into something great. Did you know that Atlanta is among the top five ideal cities for starting successful businesses? For more information about business opportunities, benefits, and grants for women in Atlanta, Georgia, keep reading this article.
Atlanta Ventures
Atlanta Ventures is a program designed to take care of the entrepreneurial needs of women in the City of Atlanta. The program works in partnership with the Atlanta Tech Village to help women entrepreneurs in all business stages. Having an idea that you would like to turn into a business venture? Need help fitting in the market or scaling your business? Don’t worry. By providing networking opportunities through meetups, workshops, and a studio, specifically designed for business development, Atlanta Ventures will help you achieve your dreams. Find out more at https://atlantaventures.com/.
Center for Civic Innovation
Are you a female entrepreneur in the civic industry? The Center for Civic Innovation is there to provide support to civic women entrepreneurs in the startup stage of business development. The Center is committed to supporting entrepreneurs through training, workshops, and other programs that take women through all the business stages. Workshops are organized to take women entrepreneurs through the idea stage. For the growth stage, the Center manages the Civic Innovation Fellowship that runs for 6 months. The center also provides financial support through the Civic Impact Loan to help women smoothly run their business operations, while striving to thrive. Read more at https://www.civicatlanta.org/.
Atlanta Technology Development Center (ATDC)
ATDC is committed to offering coaching and mentorship opportunities to female entrepreneurs in the tech-industry through workshops and classes. The Center also gives the entrepreneurs a chance to link with potential customers for their goods and services through networking opportunities in Georgia. The members of ATDC are allowed to participate in the ATDC Investor Connect, which enables them to have access to private capital to support their daily operations.
OpportunityHub (OHUB)
HUB is a center for entrepreneurship and innovation and is committed to providing opportunities for women startup owners to enhance their skills. They provide entrepreneurial support through skills development, funding, professional growth, and other resources to help them expand their ventures. Looking for a place to further develop your business skills, while turning your ideas into successful ventures? OpportunityHub should be your next stop for assistance. visit https://opportunityhub.co/ to learn more.
Startup Atlanta
The Startup Atlanta works to provide entrepreneurial support to women business owners through funding and networking opportunities and other resources to help businesswomen expand their enterprises. Please note that the organization only supports startups to help them achieve their dreams. Find out more at http://www.startupatlanta.com/.
Women Investing in Successful Entrepreneurs (WISE)
WISE helps women have access to capital and advisory services to help them, start or expand their businesses. If you are looking for a resource to make your entrepreneurship career successful, try WISE. It is there for all women-owned businesses in the city of Atlanta. Visit https://aceloans.org/women-investing-in-successful-entrepreneurs/ for more details.
BusinessUSA Financing Tool
This financing tool helps women entrepreneurs search for the available federal financing programs to help in starting successful ventures and expanding businesses. Read more at https://www.sba.gov/loans-and-grants.
The Atlanta Women’s Foundation – Women’s Pathway to Success Program
The Women’s Pathway to Success Program is designed to help create employment opportunities and eliminating barriers that women encounter while trying to seek jobs in the City of Atlanta. The program funds non-profits that work to help women achieve economic self-efficiency through workforce training, microenterprise development, and financial literacy. Find out more at https://atlantawomen.org/what-we-do/grants/womens-pathway-to-success-program/.
Founders Institute – Atlanta
The Founder’s Institute is a program that supports female entrepreneurs in startups. The program helps women business owners gather funds, have access to consultants, and build a team to facilitate the growth of their enterprises. Through the 3 and a half-month program that conducts assessments concerning business building, feedback, and evaluation that is carried out consistently to ensure you are following, you have access to other support resources and partners for your business. Please visit https://fi.co/s/atlanta for more details.
Start: ME
Start: ME is a free 14-week program designed to offer training to women-owned small businesses. Through this program, you get access to mentors, funding assistance in form of grants, and other support services to help you run your business smoothly. besides, the program provides templates on business plan development and financing for female entrepreneurs in the early business development stages. For more information about the program, please visit http://www.startmeatl.org/.
Grants and Loans in the City of Atlanta
The City of Atlanta comprises funding opportunities in form of loans and grants provided to prospective and already existing business owners. Most of these funding opportunities are made available through Invest Atlanta. The sources of funds for running your business include:
- The Phoenix Fund. The Fund program provides financial assistance to women business owners.
- Small Business Loan. This loan program provides funding to support women-owned businesses to help them expand their enterprises or relocate somewhere else.
- New Markets Catalysts Fund. The loan program exists to support women-owned businesses’ needs and is situated in the neighborhoods considered to be distressed. Find out more at https://www.investatlanta.com/business/small-business-loan-programs/new-markets-catalyst-fund/.
- Office of Grants Management. Looking for a grant opportunity? Well, the Office of Grants Management connects you with the grant opportunities you need to make your business thrive. Read more at https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/finance/maintenance-page.
- Opportunity Loan Fund. The fund provides financing to women-owned businesses that strive to generate at least five job opportunities for the jobless. The loan program is available for both small and medium-sized enterprises in the City of Atlanta. For more details, please visit https://www.investatlanta.com/business/small-business-loan-programs/opportunity-loan-fund/.
- Business Improvement Loan Fund. Is your business situated in the targeted business improvement district? Then, you can qualify for this loan if you are looking for financing to expand your business operations. Find out more at https://www.investatlanta.com/business/small-business-loan-programs/business-improvement-loan-fund/.