Akintunde Ahmad

ESO Ventures Inc. was born as a new model for economic development that places entrepreneurship at the center, not at the periphery, of wealth building. We are committed to creating economic prosperity for business enterprises in traditionally underserved and underinvested communities where the primary owners reflect the community of the neighborhood in which they live. We believe that empowering people, especially Black and Brown working adults within local communities to build businesses results in job creation, closing of racial wealth gaps, civic engagement, and shared prosperity. ESO Ventures Inc. is an entrepreneurial support organization providing the confidence, competence, and capital for any Black or Brown person to become an entrepreneur. ESO’s big goal is to establish a business every day for the next 10 years creating over $3B in revenue and 60,000 new jobs in underinvested communities. ESO sells curriculum, business incubation services, and financial products for early stage entrepreneurs. ESO specializes in incubating and funding business and creating an equitable ecosystem of support for entrepreneurs who lack the resources and the capital to launch and grow successful employer enterprises. In 2021, ESO Ventures Inc. launched the ESO Capital in the Community Fund (CICF) with an $8M award from the State of California. This California Benefit Corporation was formed to provide the first investment in community-based Black and Brown-led businesses with non-dilutive, low-interest, non-asset-based loans ranging in size from $5,000-$100,000. These innovative financing products address the unique needs of ESO businesses and provide financing using nontraditional or alternative methods of funding.