CAMEO CEO Carolina Martinez released the following statement today praising the California Senate’s passage of SB 625, which would establish the California Investment and Innovation Fund to provide grants to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) San Francisco, June 3, 2021—The passage of SB 625 in the California Senate is a significant step in increasing equity
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New White House Proposals to Support Black Entrepreneurship
Yesterday, the White House released a fact-sheet on New Actions to Build Black Wealth and Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap, which includes changes to small business ownership, in communities of color and disadvantaged communities. Specifically, the Administration has set the following goals: Use the government’s purchasing power to drive an additional $100 billion to small disadvantaged business owners. Increase the
Entrepreneurship Advantage May Virtual Meetup: Tech Resources & Self-Care for Small Business
Entrepreneurship Advantage is a Los Angeles-based collaborative that is passionate about helping entrepreneurs thrive. Our special guest, Elianne Rodriguez, is a partner at LIST Ventures and Business Advisor for the Los Angeles Small Business Development Network (SBDC). She has focused extensively on helping small business owners incorporate technology through e-commerce and online businesses. In addition, she’s worked
The Governor’s Budget: Grant Money, Tax Cuts, and More
Last week, the Governor announced a whopping $75 billion budget surplus; add another $25 billion from the federal CARES Act and California’s fiscal future is bright. Small business recovery ranks high in the priorities – along with meeting the needs of lower and middle-income Californians, homelessness and public schools. In case you haven’t heard, the
Entrepreneurship Advantage April Virtual Meetup: Addressing Barriers to Access for Entrepreneurs
This month’s virtual meetup focuses on an effort to create an inclusive business community and provide support to entrepreneurs who are in need of help. First, Chris Horton explains the new Inclusivity Project, an effort to address institutional and systemic barriers to Black entrepreneurship by providing access to capital and mentorship to entrepreneurs with an
Statement on the Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict
After a week of several police shootings, a shred of hope for justice, accountability for a crime, and a step in the right direction came with the guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin. Before we can help Black and other communities of color start and grow businesses, we have to ensure that they are safe, that they
Proposed Infrastructure Plan Will Help California’s Small Businesses Thrive
Statement by Carolina Martinez, CEO of CAMEO, California’s statewide micro-business network and leading voice for businesses with one to four employees, on President Biden’s new infrastructure plan – the American Jobs Plan San Francisco, March 31, 2021—President Biden’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan is a promising step toward creating a strong economy where California’s small businesses
Women-Owned Businesses Grew from 2017 to 2018
A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that the number of women-owned employer firms increased from 2017 to 2018 by 0.6%. In 2018, there were 1.1 million businesses owned by women, 6,861 more than in 2017. While that percentage is still low compared to the number of men-owned businesses, it’s important to note
Entrepreneurship Advantage March Virtual Meetup: Supporting LA’s Arts & Cultural Businesses
Entrepreneurship Advantage is a Los Angeles-based collaborative that is passionate about helping entrepreneurs thrive. Artists and culture-based businesses have been hurt hard by the pandemic, so we’re focusing on those businesses for this meetup – how can we best serve them. First, we learn about AmbitioUS, an initiative of the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). AmbitioUS encourages
Stimulus Listening Session Recap
We had a really insightful listening session on Tuesday with Matt Gomez, Banking Counsel for Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez, House Committee on Small Business. He was very generous with his time and knowledge. Here’s recap of what he talked about: Paycheck Protection Program The bill expands eligibility to nonprofits with up to 500 employees (from