Collab Receives Challenge Grant to Support Women Entrepreneurs
The Amour Propre Fund has provided Collab a Challenge Grant of $25,000 to support the Collab Women’s Initiative for Connecticut-based women entrepreneurs
Collab has announced today they have received a Challenge Grant of $25,000 from Lindy Lee Gold, President of the Amour Propre Fund, to support the launch of a Collab Women’s Initiative. To meet this generous challenge, Collab is actively seeking community support and partners to join the effort to support women entrepreneurship.
Collab is an accelerator for New Haven and Connecticut-based entrepreneurs. Founded in 2017, Collab has supported hundreds of entrepreneurs across the state; 74% of Collab Accelerator graduates are women-owned ventures.
And now, after years of supporting women entrepreneurs, Collab is launching the Collab Women’s Initiative to provide deeper support to women entrepreneurs across Connecticut. The Amour Propre Fund is supporting the Collab Women’s Initiative with a Challenge Grant of $25,000 to launch the initiative. The challenge starts today and will close by August 31st.
Women entrepreneurs face specific barriers to entrepreneurship — especially women of color and LGBTQ+ identifying women, as well as women who are immigrants and refugees. Four of the main challenges women entrepreneurs face include barriers to participation, the confidence gap, less access to capital, and the need for trusted mentors and sponsors. The Collab Women’s Initiative will combine innovative and pragmatic programmatic components to directly address these gaps women entrepreneurs face:
Coaching and Peer-to-Peer Support including 1-on-1 coaching intensives, a cohort-based Mastermind Group for women entrepreneurs, and a childcare fund.
Network of Funders and Mentors including building a Women Investor Network, designing investor implicit bias training, and an expanded Collab Women Mentor Network
As a result of the initiative, Collab aims to: (1) improve the financial health of women-owned businesses; (2) increase the support network for women entrepreneurs; and (3) increase investment opportunities for Connecticut-based investors.
“It is essential to provide women with the tools and skills needed for self sustainability and independence,” said Lindy Lee Gold, President of the Amour Propre Fund, “Supporting women entrepreneurs is one of the most effective tools to revive growth, create jobs, and generate transformational economic impact.”
“Collab has supported hundreds of entrepreneurs over the past five years and we’ve seen firsthand how these obstacles play out in the lives of our women entrepreneurs and too often hinder the growth and success of their businesses,” said Dawn Leaks, Executive Director of Collab. “This new initiative will allow us to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs by offering essential support in key areas, paving the way for their ultimate success”.
In addition to the Amour Propre Fund’s Challenge Grant, the Collab Women’s Initiative is generously supported by The Community Fund for Women & Girls. To unlock the Challenge Grant, Collab is actively seeking financial partners to join the effort to support women entrepreneurship. To get involved and sponsor the initiative, email Dawn Leaks, Collab Executive Director, at dawn@collabnewhaven.org.