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Next Accelerate Northside Session Starts in October
Wed, 10/02/2024 - 2:14pmThe Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Center’s next session of Accelerate Northside is starting October 10 and will take place on six consecutive Thursday evenings from 5 – 9 p.m., except for Wednesday, October 30. It includes six weeks of training, opportunities for mentorships with successful entrepreneurs, one-on-one consulting during and after the program, and connections to community resources.
Eligible Accelerate Northside applicants should be:
• existing business owners seeking assistance with growth strategies and
• individuals who have a business idea or who want to turn a hobby or side job into a full-time business.
Applications must be received by October 7, but walk-ups are welcome on October 10 if space is available.
The session will conclude on November 14. Thanks to a sponsorship by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), participants are only responsible for a $25 program fee, valued at $450.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are more than 470,000 small businesses in Louisiana. There are nearly 20,000 businesses in Lafayette Parish with fewer than 20 employees, according to ReferenceUSAGov, a business database.
Last year, LEED and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority partnered to continue the Accelerate Northside program and expand it to include new entrepreneurial programming.
Dr. Geoffrey Stewart, director of LEED and the Moody Company/BORSF Endowed Chair in Regional Business Development at UL Lafayette, said "The LEED Center and B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration is once again delighted to offer our eighth Accelerate Northside Program. We are grateful for continuing support of the program from LEDA, Senator Gerald Boudreaux, and the Louisiana Legislature and pleased to once again have LEDA as our sponsor," Dr. Stewart expressed.
"Since its inception four years, over 300 people have engaged in Accelerate Northside, and have established over 100 LLCs within Lafayette ecosystem. The success of Accelerate Northside stems from the willingness of entrepreneurs to engage in the 6-session program."
Accelerate Northside, a start-up and small business program that began in 2021, helps entrepreneurs who are economically disadvantaged create and/or grow their own businesses. The LEED has hosted seven program cohorts in the last 42 months.
“LEDA is proud to continue its support for the UL LEED Center’s signature program – Accelerate Northside,” said Mandi Mitchell, President and CEO at the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. “In helping local individuals launch new businesses, the LEED Center is building and strengthening the network of local diverse entrepreneurs while deepening and strengthening Lafayette’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
“I am extremely proud of the work being done by the UL LEED Center as the organization launches its seventh cohort of the Accelerate Northside program,” said Senator Gerald Boudreaux. “It’s impactful programs like this one that demonstrate the importance of state resources being deployed to support the work of strategic partners like the UL LEED Center and LEDA.”
For more information and the online application, visit https://business.louisiana.edu/leed/acceleratenorthside.
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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the largest campus of the University of Louisiana System, offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. UL Lafayette is a Doctoral University with Very High Research Activity, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s most prestigious designation. The University is dedicated to achieving excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, in research, and in public service.