A newly statewide accelerator program for Black and Latino entrepreneurs is accepting applications for its next cohort.
Twende, which is led by the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, is taking applications through Dec. 30. The nine-month program aims to scale up startups that have up to $75,000 in annual revenue.
Twende launched at the Entrepreneur Center in 2019. In 2021, the state allotted $450,000 in its budget to expand the program statewide. Entrepreneurs in tech, consumer goods, health care, hospitality and other industries have gone through the program.
This year, the Entrepreneur Center is adding a "supplier diversity" element to connect procurement officials at companies with diverse businesses across the state.
"We know that supplier diversity is critical for scaling Black and brown-owned businesses and advancing economic equity," said Brittany Cole, chief equity and inclusion officer at the Entrepreneur Center.
"Corporations and our federal and local government have pledged billions of dollars in annual spend to diverse businesses, with initiatives to only increase this spending year over year," Cole said in a press release. "We want to ensure our Twende founders are prepared and positioned to land these five, six, and seven-figure deals."
To learn more or enroll, click here.
