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Blog Startups The PISLA Beat

The pandemic saw a sharp rise in Black entrepreneurship. Here’s how these owners are getting off the ground.

Many firms are resuming operations as COVID restrictions loosen in Southern California. This includes a business called Post 21 in Downtown Disney, which has reopened following a pandemic-related closure.

Post 21 is the first African-American-owned business on a Disney resort. One of the co-founders, Blair Paysinger, claims her store sells beauty products, home goods, and children’s items, all from Black-owned businesses.

Paysinger explains, “The goal of the business was to gather them all into one area.” “Previously, if you wanted to help them, that was fine. But where do you look for them?”

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Black Futures Month: Four Black Leaders Who Walk The Talk

 Marlon Nichols has worked with Historically Black Colleges and Universities for more than five years to demystify the world of startups and venture capital. Nichols has provided online courses such as Venture Capital 101, which teaches the fundamentals of startup funding and support. He’s also paid for HBCU students to visit Silicon Valley and attend conferences like South By Southwest, where he’s made sure there’s content tailored to their educational needs.

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Biz Advocate: New SoCal Clean Gas Program Is “Amazing Opportunity”


A new sustainable energy initiative in Southern California, according to Timothy Simon, CEO of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, is an “amazing opportunity” for Black entrepreneurs.

Simon, a former Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission and an attorney, says he hopes to see more Black entrepreneurs and businesses participate in the developing green economy.

The Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) announced a proposal last Thursday to build green hydrogen infrastructure in the greater Los Angeles area, the first step in a bigger statewide plan to help replace fossil fuels by 2035.


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Blog The PISLA Beat

EDA and MBDA Support a New Generation of Black Entrepreneurs

Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) programs and the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) program are assisting to solve disparities faced by Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs). The RLF program of the EDA assists businesses by capitalizing on local investment programs that provide gap financing to businesses that may not be able to obtain traditional bank loans, while MBEs can contact a local MBDA Business Center for a variety of technical assistance, including access to capital, contracts, and markets. Gaby Long of Eureka, California, is one Black entrepreneur who has personally seen the benefits of these Department of Commerce initiatives. Long opened A Taste of Bim, a genuine Caribbean cafe in Eureka’s historic Old Town, in 2015. 

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