Accelerate Boston: generating wealth through entrepreneurship

David Price Executive Director, Nuestra Comunidad

Challenge: As neighborhoods throughout Boston undergo revitalization, many locals struggle to survive or are driven out by rising costs. Starting a small locally-owned business is particularly difficult in these changing landscapes. Creative entrepreneurs often lack the essential funding, support and influence they need to thrive.



Gentrification not only forces long-time residents out of Boston’s changing neighborhoods, rising rents and property prices pose hardships for local entrepreneurs as well. Maintaining businesses and creating new ones can be fraught with insurmountable hurdles for these communities’ residents, many of whom are low-income, immigrants and people of color.

To address this critical need for funding and support, Nuestra Comunidad, a community development corporation based in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, joined forces with another nonprofit, Epicenter Community. Together they run Accelerate Boston, a program designed for entrepreneurs looking to launch a business supporting the creative economy.

The coaching program aims to promote economic growth through new businesses and investments in Roxbury and other Boston neighborhoods. The program launched in 2012 helps more than 20 entrepreneurs a year to develop their concepts into business plans, secure financing and create marketing tools. A range of business owners, thought leaders and investors provide weekly training sessions over six months. The entrepreneurs then pitch their ideas to a panel of three judges and the winners receive $10,000 each to help start up or expand their enterprises. Successful owners of established businesses serve as mentors to help the startups get their businesses off the ground and begin growing.

“We can help people build businesses especially in the creative and culture economy that will keep the heart and soul of Roxbury as well be inviting to other communities,” Malia Lazu, co-founder and executive director of Future Boston Alliance.

Accelerate Boston has had 120 graduates over four years, and many of them have seen real success. Here are just a few:

Cassandria Campbell won the first Accelerate Boston pitch contest. Her Fresh Food Generation company is a food truck and catering business supplied by local farms producing delicious and healthy food inspired by Latin American and Caribbean cuisine.

Rica Elysee won the third Accelerate Boston pitch contest with BeautyLynk, which provides on-demand at-home, state of the art, licensed salon services. To meet the unique needs of clients, BeautyLynk deploys 22 make-up artists and hair stylists across Eastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island. 

Dr. Lesa Dennis-Mahamed, owner of Gallery Eyecare, was one of the first tenants to open in the new Bolling Municipal Building in Roxbury’s main business district, Dudley Square. Gallery Eyecare marries an optometry practice and art gallery to create a holistic vision experience.

Tiffany’s Transformations is a full service skin and nail care studio that uses only natural, non-toxic, cruelty-free and vegan products. Owner Tiffany White wanted to create an environmentally-friendly salon that is healthier for clients and workers alike.

Accelerate Boston is a vital component of Nuestra Comunidad’s mission to prevent displacement and increase the number of small business owners of color in Boston. Some of the most effective elements of the program are:

1. assisting small startups to draft strong business plans, financial documents and forecasts
2. providing technical assistance and analysis on an individual basis for microloan applications and funding proposals
3. partnering successful, established business owners with the new businesses for mentoring and networking.