This Small Business Month, United Way of Greater Atlanta is celebrating the entrepreneurs shaping our region by investing directly in their success.
Through this year’s SPARK Prize competition, the culminating event of our Building Resilient Entrepreneurs Program (BRE), six women-owned businesses walked away with $19,000 in grant money. These founders, representing industries from education and childcare to media and consulting, show the innovation and excellence that exists right here in Greater Atlanta.
Investing in growth where it’s needed most
The SPARK Prize exists to address a stark reality: while small businesses make up a large portion of economic growth in our region, access to capital remains greatly unequal.
As participant Takia Lamb of TK Consulting shared during the competition, “The problem is that Black women only get half of a percent on average of overall amount invested.”
>> READ MORE: SPARK Prize celebrates a decade of igniting social change
Black women are becoming entrepreneurs faster than any other demographic — yet 80% of Black-owned businesses close within their first 18 months, compared to about 30% of small businesses overall. Women-owned businesses are also among the fastest-growing segments nationwide, but they also face barriers, including smaller loan sizes and limited access to venture capital. Without that capital, many turn to their own savings.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 69% of small businesses rely on personal savings to supplement their business.
“This [competition] happens because we want people to have emergency savings,” said Protip Biswas, Senior VP of Economic Stability and Organization Innovation at United Way of Greater Atlanta. “What we find in housing is that people don’t have enough savings for a crisis, and an entrepreneur is actually a person who doesn’t even get a regular paycheck sometimes.”
SPARK Prize is designed to help change that trajectory, with real judges, real competition, and real dollars at stake.
Meet this year’s SPARK Prize winners
This year, six finalists advanced from a competitive pool of 25 entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses in front of a panel of judges from BRE’s partners and sponsors: Aprio, UPS, Truist, Housing Plus, and United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Cole Society and staff. Also on this year’s panel was last year’s winner, Teneka Williams of Royal Petals ATL.
“I believe that when we invest in grassroots work and local businesses, we create the conditions for lasting, community-driven change, and as a judge, I was able to put that belief into action,” said Ikram N. Ali Mohammed, one of our volunteer judges from Cole Society. “A stand-out moment for me was hearing how much resilience each entrepreneur had just to get to this stage, and how that resilience is what will help define their lasting impact.”
>> READ MORE: Building Resilient Entrepreneurs gives budding business owners the chance to grow
The 2026 SPARK Prize recipients are:
- $7,500 Award + $1,000 Audience Choice: Could Be Pretty Cool (Kacie Louders)
- $5,000 Award: Holistic Education Services (Karisa Tavassoli)
- $2,500 Award: Black Women Moguls (Averri Simone Liggins)
- $1,000 Awards: 3 Kool Kings (Aleisha Kelly), TK Consulting (Takia Lamb), LaPoe (Anike Mlemchukwu)
For the entrepreneurs in the cohort, the awards go far beyond the funding, giving them a network of support and the infrastructure needed to grow and serve their local communities.
Karisa, known as “Ms. T” to her students, worked as a teacher and started her tutoring company after seeing how her impact could deepen when working one-on-one with students instead of in the classroom.
“I started Holistic Education Services because I saw there was an education crisis in our country and I wanted to do something about it,” she said. “I never envisioned myself as an entrepreneur. To see others believe in the vision so much that they’re willing to grant me seed money so I can continue and expand, just a year and nine months into the business? It truly means the world to me, my staff, and our community of parents and kids as well.”
When small businesses thrive, our region grows stronger
This Small Business Month, we’re recognizing that small businesses are not just economic drivers—they are essential to household stability and community wealth. And the pitch competition is only the beginning.
“These businesses will grow, develop, and flourish,” said Housing Plus Executive Director Corby Hannah. “It’s always exciting to see who’s going to be that next person that wins, gets new contracts, and goes onto bigger and better things.”
>> LEARN MORE: The vital role of Black-owned businesses in enhancing neighborhood well-being
The next cohort of Building Resilient Entrepreneurs will launch this fall, with applications opening early this summer. Interested in joining the community, and potentially being the next winner? Sign up to be notified when applications open on the BRE interest form.
When you give to support economic stability programs at United Way, your investment’s impact multiplies. Each year, we help thousands of hardworking families, frontline workers, educators, and small business owners like these thrive — and you can too when you give today.