Accelerate Your Business Growth
Ascend Twin Cities is committed to tapping into your business’s full potential by supporting you as an entrepreneur.
Accelerate Your
Business Growth
Ascend Twin Cities is committed to tapping into your business’s full potential by supporting you as an entrepreneur.
Value Prop
Ascend Twin Cities’ program architecture is designed to support you from all angles and help your business succeed in the long-term.
Entrepreneur benefits
Contract Readiness
Our Ascend BIPOC Entrepreneurs receive management education with a focus on contract-readiness. The curriculum is delivered by Holmes School of Business and includes strategies that support sustainability and growth.
Access to Opportunities
We provide ongoing connections to Anchors and their procurement teams. Our Entrepreneurs and Anchors are brought together to review procurement processes and potential contract opportunities.
Accelerate Growth
BIPOC Entrepreneurs have access to capital or equity for hiring, increasing inventory, building capacity, or scaling up to meet anchor contract needs. We provide ongoing technical assistance to plan for business growth.
Entrepreneur benefits
Contract
Readiness
Our Ascend BIPOC Entrepreneurs receive management education with a focus on contract-readiness. The curriculum is delivered by Holmes School of Business and includes strategies that support sustainability and growth.
Access to
Opportunities
Entrepreneurs gain access to contracts with participating Anchors. We provide ongoing connections to Anchors and their procurement teams. Our Entrepreneurs and Anchors are brought together to review procurement processes and potential contract opportunities.
Accelerate
Growth
BIPOC Entrepreneurs have access to capital or equity for hiring, increasing inventory, building capacity, or scaling up to meet anchor contract needs. We provide ongoing technical assistance to plan for business growth.
Business Qualifications
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Annual revenues
Annual revenues of $500,000 or more
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Scalable business
Scalable business model with the potential to operate nationally
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Location
Businesses located within the state of Minnesota will be given preferential consideration
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Applicable taxing
In good standing with all applicable taxing entities
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Minority business
51% ownership of or more of Minority Business Enterprise/Entity
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Productive use
Demonstrates productive use of additional capital, market opportunities, specialized management education
2023 COHORT
92% of Ascend Twin Cities Entrepreneurs received some form of COVID19 relief funding, EIDL, PPP, and/or government grants.
By contrast, just 12% of black and Latino business owners who applied for PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans reported receiving what they asked for.
BUsiness Success Story
Serving Healthcare Providers and Patients
+50
hospital systems
Added over 50 hospital systems and governments since the start of the pandemic
+29
new products
Added 29 new products to protect those on the front lines
+93%
social audience
Social audience grew 93% and engagement across all social channels grew 650%
Care+Wear is a for-purpose and social-mission inspired company that set out to change the status quo in the healthcare industry. They have grown to be the leading provider of innovative healthwear focused on creating positive experiences for people everywhere. Working with patients, clinicians, and designers, Care+Wear creates functional, fashionable, and medically superior products that promote safety, dignity, style, and comfort.
When the global pandemic caused by COVID19 struck the United States, Care and Wear stepped up and delivered PPE to hospital systems across the entire country. They had already done the hard work, spending several years developing a secure supply chain, and building a strong operational team designed to scale rapidly.