Brazi Bites, pioneer of delicious Latin-inspired, naturally gluten-free and better-for-you foods, today announced the launch of its Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program heading into Latin Heritage Month.
Created by Co-founder and CMO, Junea Rocha, the Program gives entrepreneurs a chance to win a $10,000 business grant and a 12-week long mentorship to help build their business at the most critical time of their journey.
With the number of Hispanic business owners growing 34% in the last 10 years and an estimated 4.65 million Hispanic-owned businesses now in place in the U.S., this segment is one of the fastest-growing of U.S. small businesses (Biz2Credit Latino-Owned Business Study 2021).
While their contributions are significant, Hispanic business owners still find it challenging to raise the appropriate funding to launch and grow their businesses. Only 20% of Latino-owned companies seeking national bank loans exceeding $100,000 were approved in 2020, compared to 50% of White-owned enterprises, making the need for funding crucial (Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative 2021).
“As a Latina founder, I know firsthand the challenges this community faces when it comes to getting a business off the ground, and our Accelerator Program is a step to support the incredible contributions that Latino business owners make in the U.S,” said Junea Rocha, Co-founder and CMO of Brazi Bites. “This minority community is critical to the fabric of our culture and economy, and this program is intended to give entrepreneurs tailored support at the most critical time.”
Accepting applications from September 15 through October 28, the Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program will award one winner a $10,000 business grant along with a 12-week mentorship with Rocha and her team of industry experts.
The mentorship will be uniquely tailored to the winner, including one-on-one coaching, discussion of business objectives, workshops, and access to the entire Brazi Bites team to support in sales, marketing, operations, finance, e-commerce and more. Three finalists will be awarded a profile feature on Brazi Bites’ website, alongside social, email, and press exposure.
For rules, requirements, and to submit an application, please visit www.brazibites.com/leap/. To learn more about Brazi Bites and to read Rocha’s story, please visit www.brazibites.com. Brazi Bites products, including Brazilian Cheese Bread, Pizza Bites, Empanadas and Breakfast Sandwiches, are available at more than 16,000 natural, conventional and club stores nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Target, Costco, Wegmans, Publix, Kroger, Albertsons and more, as well as online at www.brazibites.com and Amazon.