Operations

DoorDash investing $2M in women-, immigrant-, BIPOC-owned businesses

Provided

February 23, 2021

DoorDash has created Main Street Strong Accelerator, an initiative providing financial support and specialized educational resources to women-, immigrant- and people of color-owned businesses, who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The social and financial inequities that many businesses experienced before the pandemic have only been amplified by the current global pandemic and economic crisis," DoorDash CEO and founder Tony Xu said in a company press release. "To truly empower and grow local economies, you must start with the entrepreneur."

Developed in close collaboration with Accion Opportunity Fund — a nonprofit small business lender and support organization — the Accelerator is an eight-week course about marketing, technology integration, managing cash flow and menu creation. Participants will create a personalized business plan, a compilation of all their completed weekly assignments, to help them implement newly learned skills directly to their businesses. Participants will also build a strong network of fellow entrepreneurs to further foster a supportive community through connection.

Restaurateurs in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Philadelphia may apply, and 100 of them will receive the honor. Additionally, DoorDash is also giving $2 million in grants participants to help them navigate the pandemic's. The grants will be made in two $10,000 payments, one at the start and one at the end of the program in May.

"Restaurants have been among the industries most severely impacted during this pandemic. And, like all sectors, those owned by women, immigrants, and people of color suffered the most, because they had less resources to fall back on and fewer connections to access initial relief from the federal government," Luz Urrutia, CEO of Accion Opportunity Fund, said in the release. "It's clear and unfortunate that the future of the industry has changed forever. If we want to make space for food visionaries from diverse backgrounds to contribute to the future of food, dining, job creation, and community-building, we must intentionally focus on these business owners to support their adaptation, creativity, and liquidity."

How to apply

Applications are now open to restaurant owners and operators who are operating three or fewer restaurant locations, have been operating for two or more years and have 50 employees or fewer across all locations. For full eligibility requirements and criteria, and to begin the application, visit doordashimpact.com/accelerator.

Applications close at 5 p.m., March 2. The selected applicants will be notified in mid-March, and the program will take place in April and May via a series of virtual workshops.