The community-based accelerator welcomes 96 entrepreneurs and expands volunteer engagement across metro Atlanta.
The Start:ME Accelerator has launched its 2026 cohorts, bringing together 96 entrepreneurs representing 78 small businesses for a four-month, community-based program designed to support neighborhood microbusinesses across metro Atlanta.
Selected from nearly 400 applications, this year’s cohorts reflect both the scale of interest in the program and the continued momentum of Start:ME’s mission: to strengthen local economies by equipping entrepreneurs with the tools, mentorship, and community support needed to build sustainable businesses.
Delivered by the Business & Society Institute at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in partnership with local nonprofit organizations, Start:ME operates across four communities—Clarkston, East Lake, Atlanta’s Southside, and Atlanta’s Westside—providing free, neighborhood-based business education and coaching to entrepreneurs who are deeply embedded in the communities they serve.
A Cohort Reflecting Growth and Resilience
This year’s participating businesses span a wide range of industries, with the highest concentrations in food and beverage (21%), professional services (17%), and arts, culture, and creative enterprises (13%). Many are already well on their way: 91% of ventures are incorporated, 73% are revenue-generating, and collectively they report $3.4 million in revenue, with a median of $13,000 per business.
Beyond the founders themselves, these businesses are creating broader economic impact—retaining or creating 155 jobs and operating out of 13 brick-and-mortar locations across Atlanta’s neighborhoods.
For us, success is about more than launching businesses—it’s about building long-term economic and social vibrancy in the neighborhoods where these entrepreneurs live and work.
Erin Igleheart, Program Director, Start:ME Accelerator.
“This year’s cohort reflects both the diversity of local enterprise and the resilience of founders who are deeply committed to their communities,” says Erin Igleheart, program director of the Start:ME Accelerator.”
Since launching as a pilot program in 2013, Start:ME has supported more than 500 ventures across 37 cohorts, growing from a single neighborhood-based pilot into a sustained, multi-community accelerator grounded in trust, access, and local partnership.
Powered by Mentors and Community Volunteers
At the heart of Start:ME’s model is a robust network of volunteer business mentors who work directly with entrepreneurs throughout the program. This year, 113 volunteer mentors are supporting weekly sessions, including 18 Start:ME alumni who have returned to give back to the program that helped launch their own businesses.
In addition to ongoing mentorship, Start:ME will engage more than 150 additional volunteers through targeted sessions such as neighborhood feedback nights, small business resource fairs, financial pitch practice, and final pitch events.
A new emphasis this year is expanding access to volunteer opportunities beyond Atlanta. Neighborhood Feedback Nights will be held virtually, allowing participants from anywhere to join small-group discussions where entrepreneurs present their businesses, receive market feedback, and refine pricing, positioning, and growth strategies.
“These sessions are incredibly valuable for entrepreneurs, and they’re also a meaningful way for volunteers to contribute their expertise,” Igleheart says. “They help founders pressure-test ideas while building confidence—and they give volunteers a front-row seat to the creativity and determination driving local businesses.”
Paying It Forward: Alumni Entrepreneurs as Mentors
For many mentors, volunteering with Start:ME is a way to pay forward the support they once received as participants.
The Start:ME Accelerator was one of those pivotal experiences that shifts both your business and your mindset.
Nadia Fountain, Start:ME alumna and mentor
“I walked away with not only stronger systems, but a deeper sense of responsibility,” says Nadia Fountain, founder of 100% Natural Juice & Tea Company and a Start:ME alumna now serving as a mentor. “Mentoring is my way of honoring that by helping other entrepreneurs navigate the path with greater clarity and confidence.”
That sense of continuity—entrepreneurs becoming mentors, mentors becoming community advocates—is central to Start:ME’s long-term impact.
“Start:ME was a pivotal experience for me, not only because of the grant support, but because of the sense of community, accountability, and mentorship that the program fostered,” adds RaKya, co-founder of HUMBLE Tutoring and a 2025 Southside program alum now volunteering alongside her partner. “Volunteering as a mentor now feels like a natural extension of what I received as a participant.”
Built on Partnership and Sustained Investment
Start:ME is delivered by Goizueta Business School in partnership with East Lake Foundation, Focused Community Strategies, Friends of Refugees, Grove Park Foundation, and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, ensuring that programming is rooted in the specific needs and strengths of each community.
The program is offered free of charge to all entrepreneurs thanks to continued support from financial partners including Delta Community Credit Union, PNC Bank, Regions Foundation, Target Corporation, Truist Foundation, and Emory’s Goizueta Business School. Recent multi-year investments from Regions Foundation and Truist Foundation further underscore the value of consistent, locally grounded support for neighborhood-based businesses.
Together, these partnerships make it possible for Start:ME to continue growing while staying true to its founding principles.
“Our approach has always been intentionally local,” Igleheart says. “It’s about creating spaces where entrepreneurs can learn, grow, and be vulnerable—surrounded by people who want to see them succeed.”
Getting Involved
As the 2026 cohorts move through the program over the next four months, Start:ME invites community members to get involved—whether by volunteering for neighborhood feedback sessions, supporting local businesses, or learning more about how microentrepreneurship strengthens Atlanta’s neighborhoods.
