La ciudad de Seattle ha establecido un nuevo espacio de incubadora y aceleradora de empresas negras
In an announcement made earlier this month, the Pan-African Center for Empowerment (PACE) has launched a new program called SEA619, designed to support Black entrepreneurs in the Seattle area. The program, founded by Arif Gursel, the CEO of PACE, aims to take a multifaceted approach to assist these entrepreneurs in organizing, incubating, and accelerating their business growth.
Arif Gursel, a seasoned professional with stints at Microsoft, Salesforce, Netflix, and Google, established PACE a decade ago with a focus on organizing and advocacy. Gursel has been offering informal mentorship to Black founders for several years, and SEA619 is a natural extension of this commitment.
The program, SEA619, consists of three components: a business association, an incubator, and an accelerator. The business association will provide mentorship and resources to brick-and-mortar operations like restaurants, salons, food trucks, and other physical product-based ventures. The incubator, on the other hand, will focus on supporting entrepreneurs in the idea stage or early-build phase, including young tech startups, artists, and content creators. The accelerator will prepare Black-led, AI-native startups and creator-owned digital brands for growth, scale, and potential venture backing.
SEA619 will not take equity this year, but may adopt a capped 2% stake in the future, significantly below the industry norm of 6%. The program is exploring grants and donations as it shapes its long-term business model.
Arif Gursel stated that SEA619 will take an individual approach for each business, with the aim of securing its first founders by September, and the program starting in October. Gursel hopes the program will draw entrepreneurs to Seattle.
The name SEA619 is a combination of the Seattle-Tacoma airport code, SEA, and 619 to honor Juneteenth, a significant day in African American history. Brandon Hill is the image associated with the article.
For more information about SEA619 and the Pan-African Center for Empowerment (PACE), please visit their website.
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