Comcast RISE to Support 13,000 BIPOC-Owned Small Businesses with Tech Services, Marketing Resources and Millions of Dollars in Grants by 2022

Comcast today announced it will award 13,000 Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned small businesses, which include Hispanic and Asian American owned businesses among others, across the country with monetary grants, technology makeovers and marketing services from Comcast RISE by 2022.

Since November, nearly 2,500 entrepreneurs nationwide have been selected as Comcast RISE recipients, of which nearly 2,000 have received or will receive a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv, or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business. Also, included are 500 businesses from Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Philadelphia that will each receive a $10,000 grant in May, from the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, for a total of $5 million awarded to date.

In addition, a critical component of Comcast RISE is to invest in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. To do so, the program has partnered with Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills focusing on company foundation, growing customers and financial stability. All Comcast RISE recipients will also have a specialized online networking community within Ureeka with access to educational resources, sources of capital and vetted experts such as U.S. Black Chambers, National Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Association for Enterprise Opportunity, Walker’s Legacy and Operation Hope.

“Comcast RISE represents a holistic program that can help advance BIPOC entrepreneurs. The commitment to coaching, capital and connections is critical for historically overlooked communities in achieving economic prosperity,” said Melissa Bradley, Co-founder of Ureeka. “We are humbled and excited to partner on this program.”

Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give BIPOC-owned small businesses, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive. The 2,500 recipients are from 422 cities across 34 states.

“The Comcast RISE Technology Makeover award is truly a game changer for us,” said Lois Arnold, owner of Hairs 2 U, a wig bank in Philadelphia that provides affordable wigs to women and children affected by hair loss. “Our redesigned website is giving us an upper edge with online marketing and awareness that will help drive both donors and customers in-need through our doors. And the new technology is allowing my staff to be so much more collaborative and efficient, which is vital during this pandemic.”