Launch

Empowering communities and individuals through entrepreneurship.

After completing the LAUNCH class, Mahogany continued to work full time at a convenience store, and used all of her savings to buy a food truck. She continued to work with our team, and was eager to keep moving despite a host of setbacks. A year later, LAUNCH helped her secure a small loan from our local Community Foundation which made it possible for her to purchase the remaining equipment and finish her truck. There were delays when the pandemic hit in full force, but Mahogany persevered through all of it. Now, Mahogany is working full time on her business, increasing revenue each month.

Ella Livingston had an idea to create high-end, sustainably sourced chocolate, inspired by her Ghanian background.
Ella took part in the 10-week LAUNCH CHA course in 2017 where ‚they gave me the confidence to start. She mentioned that the support didn't just stop after the course finished, she continued to receive coaching, support, and introductions to a local low-interest, no collateral loan opportunity. One of the largest roles that LAUNCH played in her journey was opening the doors for her to access the wider business ecosystem and network from which she had previously been excluded. The encouragement from LAUNCH has been instrumental, they [LAUNCH] were the breakthrough point into the ecosystem of entrepreneurship in Chattanooga. She now runs her business full time, and has two additional employees.