A Recovery Plan that Works for
the City’s Small Businesses
When Invest Atlanta, the city’s official economic development authority, wanted to use funding from the American Rescue Plan to assist small businesses, especially in disinvested neighborhoods, EIC powered up tools and a web portal on the Startup Space platform for them to make it happen.
“Startup Space powered by EIC was selected as the platform for Invest Atlanta’s RFP Digital Navigator Web Portal project as part of the American Rescue Plan. The platform connects small business located within the city limits of Atlanta to experienced business consultants for one-on-one assistance in the areas of financial management, business planning, marketing, legal, and human resources. We are only a few weeks into our launch and the feedback from business owners, business consultants and our internal shareholders is great.”
City Statistics
COMMUNITY SIZE
6 million
Demographics
60% BIPOC
PROJECT FUNDS
ARPA
Platform Use
Community Portal
Technical Assistance
Resource Compass
Analytics & Reporting
Approach
1 The challenge:
The opportunity to start a business is integral to promoting equitable economic mobility and opportunity for Atlanta residents, but access to resources to start and grow a successful business is limited by institutional barriers. Previous city initiatives to expand assistance to business owners, especially in disinvested neighborhoods, did not have the desired reach. Through Invest Atlanta, the city wanted to develop new and better ways for entrepreneurs and small businesses to access resources and services.
2 The solution:
Through a City of Atlanta allocation of federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds, Invest Atlanta expanded the “ATL In Business” program to include five new small business resource centers, a new network of local business experts offering no-cost business consulting and coaching, and a web portal powered by Startup Space to make resources readily available to small business owners. The “ATLinBusiness” portal on Startup Space allows entrepreneurs to easily search for and schedule meetings with consultants to help with their specific business needs.
3 The outcome:
Invest Atlanta was able to streamline workflows to expand the ATL in Business program to engage more small business owners and increase access to critical small business resources. The Startup Space platform powered by EIC enabled Invest Atlanta to quickly establish the provider network, efficiently manage the technical assistance programs, and measure and evaluate the program’s impact. The program is accessible 24/7/365 at: atlinbusiness.com
Catalytic Moment
“This is the first time the City of Atlanta has offered this level of direct professional assistance to help small and micro businesses overcome these challenges, so they have what they need to grow and thrive. In addition to increasing capabilities, the program will help businesses connect with other resources, such as access to capital, through our network.”
Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta
A technology platform increases access to entrepreneurial resources
The ATLinBusiness portal powered by Startup Space, an EIC solution, provides Invest Atlanta with the tools they can use to connect Atlanta’s entrepreneurs with all of the information that they need to plan, start, manage and grow a business. The solution enables Invest Atlanta to streamline technical assistance and measure the impact of the program in real time.
Equitable Support for Atlanta’s Small Businesses
24/7 Access to Resources
Critical resources are immediately available to business owners throughout the City of Atlanta via Atlanta in Business web portal.
ROI $170M
ARPA Funds
Streamlined Support
Easy-to-use tools on Startup Space simplifies program delivery and makes tracking engagement and impact practical.
Improved
Infrastructure
“An invaluable tool for all our entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
Mayor Andre Dickens
Contact us to discuss how we can bolster your small business development initiatives.
We’d be glad to learn more about your goals, investment needs, stakeholders, and the challenges you face. We’ll draw on a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you find a scalable solution to overcome them.
Reach out directly:
Email us or call (813) 336-6426