The biggest challenge Melissa Bradley, managing partner at 1863 Ventures, sees ahead for the D.C. business development nonprofit is to continue to meet the needs of a growing number of Black, brown and women business owners who have historically struggled to access capital.
In just the last 18 months, 1863 Ventures has invested more than $2 million in upstart firms across the country and has helped a number of D.C. entrepreneurs access additional capital through its administration of the city’s Inclusive Innovation Equity Impact Fund. But a lack of access to capital remains a major obstacle for Black, Latino and women entrepreneurs, and with their numbers only growing, Bradley worries that opportunities could become even more scarce if the economy falls into recession.
“The challenge we have is the top of the funnel is just getting bigger and bigger,” Bradley said in an interview.
To better support these budding entrepreneurs — particularly graduates of its own accelerator program —…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
