At age 18, Susan Nakure escaped a decades-long civil war in Sudan and made her way to Boulder, Colorado. She graduated from college and began a career in early childhood education. She lost her job when Covid-19 struck.
Accustomed to overcoming adversity, Nakure decided to make lemonade out of lemons — or in her case, samosas — by starting her own business making and selling the delectable stuffed pastries. To learn how to run a business, she turned to Entrepreneurship for All Inc. (EforAll) in Longmont, a nonprofit that works to accelerate economic and social impact in communities nationwide through inclusive entrepreneurship.
EforAll receives funding for its programs from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.
Business accelerator
Nakure participated in a free, one-year business accelerator program that provides immersive business training, mentorship and access to an extended professional network. The program included practical, intensive sessions with content specialists to cover critical early-stage business challenges, including digital literacy training.
She applied what she learned and launched Susan’s Samosas in March, 2020. Since then, she’s sold more than 10,000 samosas in the Boulder region.
The accelerator program is also offered in Spanish, enabling entrepreneurs such as Carlos Segura to successfully open businesses like Berny’s Mobile Auto Detail.
“Their stories are vivid testaments to the powerful blend of grit, ingenuity and the right guidance,” said Regina Rodríguez-Manzanet, EforAll Longmont’s executive director. “For us at EforAll, seeing entrepreneurs like Carlos and Susan flourish is more than a success metric — it’s a vindication of our mission. They are living proof that with the right tools and determination, you can not only achieve your business dreams, but also serve as an inspiring exemplar to budding entrepreneurs.”
Bridging educational, skills and funding gaps for entrepreneurs
Supporting the accelerator program is part of Comcast’s commitment to building a more connected, equitable and just world. Comcast helps organizations like EforAll bridge critical gaps by providing equitable access to entrepreneurial education in underserved communities.
“The crux of our mission isn't just about teaching business skills — it's about addressing the individual’s access gaps to business formation itself,” Rodríguez-Manzanet said. “These gaps serve as barriers that stifle innovation and opportunity within sectors that are often overlooked. This includes educational gaps, skills gaps and funding gaps.”
By addressing these gaps, EforAll catalyzes a series of transformative outcomes, Rodríguez-Manzanet said, including new business formations, local employment opportunities and community contribution.
“Our programs serve as powerful catalysts, breaking the cycle of economic stagnation by driving the formation of innovative new ventures,” she said. “These businesses are multifaceted; they not only generate profit, but also contribute to social and environmental wellness.
“These emerging businesses predominantly hire local residents, thus elevating economic mobility within the community and reducing social inequities,” she said. “By equipping businesses to address local challenges in innovative ways, we ensure they become integral, valued members of their communities. And their localized solutions often tackle specific community issues, making them indispensable components of the larger ecosystem.”
Entrepreneurs in EforAll’s programs are adept at capitalizing on technical training; opportunities to network with investors, industry experts and fellow entrepreneurs; and equitable online access.
“These elements don't function in isolation; they form a holistic framework that empowers entrepreneurs to question assumptions, challenge systems and find innovative solutions to everyday problems,” Rodríguez-Manzanet said. “By making digital literacy and access central to our training programs, we're disassembling barriers to digital participation and creating a more equitable playing field. This goes beyond merely connecting entrepreneurs to the internet — it's about equipping them with the digital competencies required to leverage the web fully for business growth and competitive advantage. In essence, equitable online access means not just getting into the game, but also knowing how to play it well.”
The partnership with Comcast brings an invaluable layer of digital literacy to EforAll’s program.
“Comcast’s dedication to digital equity means our entrepreneurs receive not just business training, but also essential digital skills and access to resources they may otherwise find unattainable,” she said. “This equips them to be competitive in a world where digital presence can make or break a business.
“In a nutshell, this relationship allows us to deepen the effectiveness of our services,” she said.
Advancing digital equity in Colorado
Comcast is deeply committed to advancing digital equity in the communities it serves. Its Project UP is a comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach tens of millions of people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky that connect people to the internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators.
Comcast knows having access to the internet, along with the tools and information necessary to navigate the digital world, are critical to closing the opportunity gap. However, the unfortunate reality is that not everyone has the resources and digital skills they need. For more than a decade, the company has used its platforms and reach to help bridge the digital divide by connecting more people to the internet and getting devices into the hands of people who need them.
Comcast works with thousands of partners to help address barriers to adoption beyond affordability, such as a lack of digital skills and awareness that low-income broadband programs exist. By working together to expand broadband adoption, Comcast believes it can help close the homework gap, advance economic mobility and achieve digital equity.
“Investing in digital skills and workforce development programs offered by trusted community organizations like EforAll is one way we’re advancing digital equity,” said J.D. Keller, regional senior vice president for Comcast. “We want to help build a future where the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs and small business owners have the skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential.”
Learn more about how Comcast is working to advance digital equity in the communities it serves.
Laura Newpoff is a freelance writer with The Business Journals Content Studio.
