Main Street Launch is proud to partner with the City of Oakland, Oakland Grown, the Oakland Chamber, and Visit Oakland to celebrate small businesses and shopping locally this holiday season. The deadline for small businesses to sign up for free marketing by Oakland Grown is October 31, 2018. Oakland Grown’s holiday campaign kicks off…
As the end of the year gets closer, we are reflecting about the innovation that our clients, staff, and partners bring to their work. From business owners like Mandy Harper, owner of Wholesome Bakery, who wanted delicious food for people with restrictive food allergies and created a business to support her community, to our partners…
Vita is a boutique fitness studio specializing in yoga, pilates, and barre. They offer classes that range from gentle to power to intense cardio. Vita is a great place to pursue your fitness goals and build community. Katy Winter opened Vita in 2017 after changing careers. “I was working in finance, but I knew…
Coworking can be a viable alternative to dedicated brick and mortar space for some entrepreneurs. In the Bay Area and beyond, coworking as a model continues to grow, becoming more customized and accessible more more small business owners. Especially for new businesses, online businesses, consultants, and other service businesses, office space might be a large…
Nite came to Main Street Launch through a referral from La Cocina, a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurs that with affordable commercial kitchen space. Nite used the loan from Main Street Launch as starting capital, to buy equipment and pay her employees. Coming to the United States as a refugee from Cambodia, Nite Yun opened…
“My great uncles inspired me to own a business,” remembers Dana. Liquor was illegal in the early 1930, and the Bushouse brothers, John and Peter created a moonshine production that was successful back at the time. Eventually they were forced to end their business, but generations later, Dana decided to follow her great uncles’ footstep,…
This post was originally published on July 5, 2017. Our offices were closed yesterday, in celebration of Independence Day, July 4. We want to take a brief moment to reflect about the importance of this day. July 4th has been a federal holiday since 1941, but the celebration dates back to the American…
In 2017 Chris and Maurion joined Main Street Launch’s Entrepreneur in Residence program to grow their knowledge and expertise on the business part of their business. “We jumped in head first when we opened the store, learning the ins and outs as we went. Now we have a better understanding about why things work…
Katie Taylor, Vice President – Marketing & Executive Projects, interviews Andrea Ramirez, Business Outreach Manager. Andrea comes to Main Street Launch with a diverse background include affordable housing and tenants rights and GIS mapping. Click here to read Andrea’s bio. How did you come across Main Street Launch? After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2016,…
This post was written by Main Street Launch’s Manager – Data & Online Content. The Runway Project is attempting to solve the deep infrastructural problem that African American entrepreneurs lack access to seed money for their businesses. There are many crowdfunding programs around the United States that are attempting to lend to all entrepreneurs.…
