At Main Street Launch our partnerships are a critically important way we support small businesses to get the resources they need to start and grow. We’re thrilled to share our growing relationship with Hack the Hood, a tech nonprofit that trains youth to build websites. The youth participants are paired with small business owners who…
This post was written by Steve Nicastro and originally appeared on NerdWallet on November 13, 2017. It is shared here with permission. Small Business Saturday has become a boon for local shops: Last year, 112 million consumers spent $15.4 million at such businesses, according to American Express, the company behind the shopping holiday founded in…
This post was originally written on May 3, 2017. May is the month where we celebrate the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched the U.S. and who are critically important to the our country’s future success. Asian American and Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islanders have a large business ownership footprint in…
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) support local economies by investing in under-invested areas. Main Street Launch is proud to be a CDFI serving low-to-moderate income communities in Oakland and San Francisco. The CDFI Fund identifies counties across the country that experience “persistent poverty” (defined as any county that has had 20% or more of…
For Parle Innovation, innovation drives them and is at the core of their company . In 2013, Mary Parle Shulenberger and her husband Art sought out a loan from Main Street Launch to support and grow their business. “Technology is a way to advance people’s lives, and while sometimes it has the potential to…
Oakland Grown’s 2018 Good Money Guide is available! This year, the guide is digital as well as print, enabling you to evaluate funding options wherever you are. The Good Money Guide reviews types of funding available for your small business, the benefits and drawbacks of each type, and sources to contact to get access…
At Montesacro they make Pinsa, an ancestor of pizza. Their modern take on pinsa transforms the tradition of using leftover grains into their specially-blended flour that makes a dish that is low in calories and easy to eat. The first Pinseria in the United States, Montesacro also offers a selection of international wine and beer…
This article was written by Jackie Zimmermann and originally appeared on Nerdwallet on January 8, 2018. It is shared here with permission. Make it count: NerdWallet is here to help you achieve your goals for the new year. Whether it’s saving for an epic vacation, ditching debt, or launching that side hustle, we’ve got the…
San Francisco has many resources to support small businesses who want to start and grow. One such organization is SFMade. SFMade is a great organization to know, whether you’re a maker or a consumer. For businesses and aspiring makers, SFMade can help you find contractors, space, and provides educational resources to start your…
It’s Women’s History Month, and we look forward to celebrating the impact of women entrepreneurs. In this post, we share some basic statistics about women-owned businesses and ways to support women entrepreneurs. Women own more than 7 million businesses in the United States (about 30 percent of all small businesses). Women-owned businesses generate $3…