Through its TIE ACCESS program, TiE Atlanta has awarded $60,000 in Social Impact Grants to founders whose ventures are aiming to deliver measurable positive change(s) that address a pressing social challenge or need in today’s society.
Launched this year, the Social Impact Grants are supported by the TiE Atlanta Foundation. These one-time non-dilutive grants in the amounts of $5,000, $7,500 or $10,000 have been awarded to (in alphabetical order, not in order of investment):
- Cancer University (Birmingham, AL) – Cancer University’s (Cancer U) online platform educates, engages, and empowers cancer patients and caregivers through courses, community, and coaching to teach its members how to become advocates for their cancer care to improve outcomes, lower stress, and reduce costs.
- Credit Conscious (Athens, GA) – This company works to restore the credit rating of clients who have been denied for mortgages and business loans. By improving its clients’ credit ratings, they can have access to wealth building assets and lead financially free lives.
- EnrichHER (Atlanta, GA) – EnrichHER Deploys working capital and promotes mindfulness to help women and people of color grow their businesses. It connects entrepreneurs with the resources, connections, and capital they need to be successful.
- Love in A Big World (Nashville, TN) – Love in A Big World addresses the mental health and wellness needs of children and families, particularly in urban areas.
- Optimal Tech (Mabelton, GA) – Optimal Tech helps commercial building owners better manage their facility so that they can intelligently lower their electricity costs by up to 50%. For every 100 solutions deployed, we can help save 375 jobs and 6,800 tons of CO2 annually.
- Qoins (Atlanta, GA) – Qoins is creating social impact by helping consumers within underrepresented communities become debt-free and achieving financial freedom so they can ultimately buy a home, build wealth, and plan for the future. To date, the company has helped pay off and save over $20 million worth of debt.
- TiE Women (Global) – A startup in its second year, TiE Women embraces, engages and empowers women entrepreneurs across the globe.
- Vertical Activewear (Atlanta, GA) – Vertical Activewear, a slow-fashion brand made on-demand in the USA, is committed to educating the public on the impacts of fast fashion and overproduction. Inclusively made in sizes XS-5XL, the clothing is consciously manufactured using eco-friendly fabrics on-demand in the US, and mindfully shipped using recycled packaging.
Companies that were a part of the TiE ACCESS program in 2020 and 2021 were in consideration for the Social Impact Grants.
TiE ACCESS, launched in 2020, is a diversity and inclusion program that aims to pave in-roads for minority and women-owned businesses to build their companies and networks not only here in Atlanta, but at an international scale, thanks to TiE Global’s worldwide reach.
ACCESS 2021 is sponsored by email marketing service and automation platform company, Mailchimp; and Balentine, a wealth management firm. The program is in partnership with LaunchPad2X, Zane Venture Fund, and Emory University’s DEI Council within the Goizueta Business School. ACCESS was hosted by TiE Atlanta, TiE Tampa Bay, and TiE Carolinas.
About TiE Atlanta: TiE Atlanta is a top five chapter of TiE Global, a nonprofit that generates prosperity through development of entrepreneurs in all stages by creating community and beneficial relationships to support them. TiE Atlanta develops entrepreneurs and startups through mentoring, education, investment, and networking. www.atlanta.tie.org
About TiE Atlanta Angels: TiE Atlanta Angels is the angel investment group of TiE Atlanta and has made over $7 million investments in over 20 companies since 2017, with a primary focus on high growth entrepreneurial startups in the Southeast US across all industries. The angel group has worked on a disciplined investment model and has invested in companies seeking Seed through Series A funding. Through this model, TiE Atlanta Angels has become one of the fastest growing, high impact angel groups in the Southeast.
