How can business acceleration assist migrant women micro-entrepreneurs ? Insights from the Start : ME Accelerator in Atlanta, USA

What type of enterprise do you have in mind when you hear the words “business accelerator” ? Perhaps vision of program grooming the next billion-dollar unicorn start-up ? Business accelerators have been around for a few decades now but how such programs can support women micro-entrepreneurs from migrant and minority backgrounds, operating entry-level businesses is not yet well understood. In this presentation I discuss the results of my research conducted in spring 2023. This research involved engaging with participants, volunteer business mentors, funders and management of the Emory University-led Start:ME Accelerator, a program that empowers these populations in Atlanta. The objective of the study was to understand the impact it has on women micro-entrepreneurs with migrant and minority backgrounds. A structured, results-oriented business training to passionate new entrepreneurs, space to create and nurture new relationships, plenty of opportunities to practice pitching, and access to capital transform the knowledge, practice and opportunities for these microentrepreneurs. This is made possible by the Accelerator’s design, which is based on relationships with its community-based partners, business mentors, funders and other supporters and involves ongoing advocacy for the Start : ME participants and alumni. I talk about the presumptions I made about Start:ME and conclude by outlining how the insights I gained feed my thinking on what a successful accelerator for these populations may look like.