The Partnership celebrated the graduation of our inaugural cohort from Next Level: Elevating Diverse Entrepreneurs. Made possible by generous support from Truist and in collaboration with local nonprofit accelerator 1863 Ventures, the program provided customized technical assistance, coaching and curated events to help Black, Brown and women entrepreneurs from Baltimore to Richmond acquire, fulfill and retain contracts for the region’s largest buyers.
The graduation celebrated the commencement of our cohort and featured keynote remarks from Leadership Council partner Comcast. The event closed with a series of brief elevator pitches from each participating business, allowing them to showcase their business offerings and aspirations.
Next Level participants completed an intensive program comprised of five targeted workshops, one-on-one office hours with professional coaches, curated networking events like our Supplier Diversity Summer Social, MBE certification and connections with corporate procurement executives from the Partnership’s employer network. As a result of this program, over 80 relationships were facilitated that have the potential to help the cohort in some way with their business.
