According to the official website, the LGBT History Month was established in 1994: In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders. They selected October because public schools are in session…
After moving to California and seeing the lack of Caribbean representation, Nigel Jones, owner of Kingston 11, decided to pursue an idea that had been in the back of his mind for 15 years. He wants to expose people to Jamaican culture through excellent tasting, locally sourced food that is good for you. “Nigel…
Main Street Launch launched our Entrepreneur in Residence program in 2016. One of our EIR companies is Civil Labs, a social enterprise with a mission to empower young people to make change in their community and to give them the resources to do so. The most recent youth-focused company Civil Labs is incubating is True Pops.…
Sean Sullivan has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community and the Oakland small business community for 15 years. He and his partner Richard Fuentes saw an opportunity to create a gathering place open seven days per week, specifically focused on serving LGBTQ people and Uptown. From that combination of passion and opportunity, The Port…
In 2016, in partnership with Wells Fargo’s Diverse Community Capital fund, Main Street Launch developed some additional programs and services specifically designed to support African American small business owners in Oakland and San Francisco. This program is lead by Robert Lattimore, Senior Vice President. One element is our Entrepreneur in Residence Program. Our Entrepreneurs…
Voting is now open for the East Bay Express’ annual Best of the East Bay issue. Voting ends July 8. Here are some recommendations of our clients, in case you need some inspiration. Click here to vote now! FOOD & BEV Best Bar: The Double Standard Best BBQ: Everett & Jones…
Cafe Santana, owned by Richard Santana offers empanadas, bagels, and more, but for Richard and his team, it’s all about the coffee. The roast onsite in small batches, so their customers can walk out with a warm bag of roasted coffee beans on demand. Check out an excerpt from Cafe Santana’s profile: “Opening the…
Main Street Launch was proud to support our partner Localwise in their first Work Local Awards, held at the Port Workspaces on April 28. Localwise helps to connect small businesses to workers by providing a dedicated job board focused on small businesses’ hiring needs. The goal of the Work Local Awards is to not only…
Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated in the United States in May since 1979. To celebrate, we reflect on the impact that Asian and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs make in our communities. There are approximately 1.5 million Asian-owned businesses in the United States, responsible for $507.6 billion in receipts. In California, 14.9% of firms are…
In 2015, The City of Oakland and Main Street Launch (formerly OBDC) partnered to launch the Oakland Business Sustainability Program. The Oakland Business Sustainability Program offers a comprehensive, integrated mix of services to support businesses along the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Route. The technical assistance part of the Oakland Business Sustainability Program is provided…