19 August 2019

Propeller introduces the 30 businesses participating in the 2019 Impact Accelerator, a 4-month interactive program that provides startup and growth-stage entrepreneurs with coaching, community building, curriculum, and technical assistance to launch and transform their businesses. Propeller’s Impact Accelerator provides coaching and technical assistance for entrepreneurs to embed financial viability, social impact, racial equity, and a commitment to our region in their businesses.

The founders in Propeller’s Impact Accelerator are representative of the diversity of New Orleans and its business landscape, with 22 for-profit and 8 nonprofit businesses owned by 70% people of color and 63% of women. The ventures bring ideas to tackle disparities in the focus areas of community economic development, education, food, health, and water, with an underlying commitment to incorporating racial equity into their business structures and processes.

In community economic development, Accelerator entrepreneurs are bridging the gap between culture and commerce with businesses bringing critical services, jobs, and community through brick-and-mortar businesses located on the Broad Street corridor.
Ascent Blends | Beaucoup Eats | Brighter Horizons Construction | Connect2Black | Crazy Waffle Bar

Entrepreneurs working in education are supporting the development of high quality and racially equitable education in early childcare and K-12 schools.
ALAS | Excellent Readers, Inc. | Kaleidoscope Early Learning Center | Legacy Leadership Academy for Girls | Navigate NOLA | STEM Library Lab

Food ventures are offering consumer-packaged goods that bring local products to market; from historic 7th Ward Creole sausage products, the South’s first Black-owned brewery, healthy canned goods from recovered produce, manufacturing chocolate, transforming food waste to healthy soil, to tackling land loss experienced by family farms of color.
Cajun Fire Brewing | NO Hunger NOLA | Piety and Desire Chocolate | Provost Farm | Schmelly’s Dirt Farm | Vaucresson Sausage

In health, entrepreneurs are working to improve the quality of life through wellness, fitness, mental health support, and both chiropractic and gynecological care.
Broadmoor Wellness Initiative | Domango Training | I-STARRT | Integrative Spine Care & Wellness | Jai Bhakti Yoga Foundation | Mother Wit Maternity & Consulting Services

The Accelerator’s water entrepreneurs are intentional in their use of native plants, landscaping, historic restoration, stormwater management, and highlighting the stories of South Louisiana residents.
Cicada Radio | Delta Flora Native Plants | Gravel Road Builders and Construction Services | Louisiana Land Art | The Solutions Journal | Sponge City