On March 27 we celebrated our Spring 2024 BALSA Grant cohort!
We presented ten first-time entrepreneurs with the BALSA Grant: $1000 cash grants, mentorship, and networking to help their businesses get started and grow.
One of our former winners, Paris Rollins, received a $5000 follow-on grant for her business Womb 2 Birth. Congratulations Paris!
The next round of the BALSA Grant will begin on July 1, 2024.
Join The BALSA Foundation as we celebrate our 10th anniversary and the 20th cohort of the BALSA Grant!
The BALSA Foundation was honored with the 2024 What’s Right With the Region Award! Our inclusion in the Improving Equity and Inclusion category demonstrates our commitment to promoting diversity, access, inclusion and opportunity for all.
We are proud to be recognized for the work we’ve been doing over the past 10 years promoting equity and prosperity in St. Louis.
The BALSA Foundation receives the 2024 Focus St. Louis Whats Right With the Region Award!
We are delighted to announce our Spring 2021 BALSA Grant Finalists! Check out the video put together to celebrate our finalists. These fourteen first time entrepreneurs will each receive a $1000 cash grant, in-kind donations of professional services, and ongoing mentorship to help start and grow their business:
Arion Hairston, MSIO - Another Me, LLC
Arrol Howze - Survival Code Unlimited
Cherlier Willis - Krafty Kravings
Dr. Brittany Conners - Optimistic Theory, LLC
Edward Thornton - Street Genius Innovations
Elizabeth Caddell - Crafts by Beth
Emily Won - Mr. Beagles LLC
Jermar Perry - The Village PATH (Programs to Access Healing & Therapy)
Loni Hutton - Pin Point Cleaning, LLC
Monrudee Robinson - Air's soap
Passion Bragg - MenOfCode2019
Rae Mayberry - Almost Anything
Stephania Brooks - Lasting Impressions Creative Living Solutions
Victoria Donaldson - Northside Soul
You can read more about the finalists here.
We are delighted to announce our Spring 2020 BALSA Grant Finalists! While we weren’t able to meet in person for the first time ever due to Covid-19, we created a video to celebrate our amazing entrepreneurs with a video and Facebook Live event. These ten first time entrepreneurs will each receive a $1000 cash grant, in-kind donations of professional services, and ongoing mentorship to help start and grow their business:
ANDREA WOODS - DOGGI O’S DOG TREATS
BRIDGETT GORDON-BILLINGSLEY - FIT-TRITIONIST LLC
CYNTHIA CHAPPLE - BLACK GIRLS DO STEM
DARNELL BROWN - SIMPLY FOSTER
ERICA KING - SHORTY MIX GOURMET COOKIES LLC
GABRIELLE BURKS - FACTS *FOR YOUR UNSOPHISTICATED GAME NIGHTS
LATITIA WINFIELD HOLLINS & DENISE WINFIELD-HOLLINS - MELANIN LUV LLC
NAISHA BAILEY - YOSNAP PHOTO BOOTH & VIDEO
PARIS ROLLINS - PICKY EATERZ
SHAUNESSI TUCKER - SKIN DEEP HYGIENIC CARE
You can read more about the finalists here.
“We’ve really focused on companies or entrepreneurs that are in the most need of our services, and by funding them we’re going to help accomplish that mission of increasing social equity and prosperity in St. Louis,” Tom Cohen, one of our founders said recently on St. Louis Public Radio
See the full interview with Tom Cohen and finalist Bryon Pearson HERE
So proud and humbled by the work of the foundation's volunteers and BALSA Grant Finalists as we celebrate 5 years of helping first-time entrepreneurs in St Louis.
$113k, 98 finalists and counting!!
Grateful to our sponsors, presenters and the community support who make our work possible. Congratulations to Thefattenedcaf and ALL of our finalists who continue to be involved with the foundation, continue to see their vision through and work and support each other!
Check out BALSA Grant winners Julius B. Anthony and Kianna Hill on FOX2 Now.
Congratulations to our BALSA Grant Summer 2018 Finalists!
The BALSA Foundation Summer 2018 BALSA Grant awards. Each first-time entrepreneurs will receive $1,000 in cash grants, along with professional services and mentorship to help them start and grow their business. (Sitting Left to right: Anna and Tello Carreon, Elevada LLC; Kita Quinn, 1K Digital Memories; Rachael Cross, Simply Chic Jewelry; Charlene Lopez and Darren Young, The Fattened Caf; Standing Left to right: Colleen Mulvihill, SLEDP; Aziz Traore, BALSA Foundation; Julius B. Anthony, St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature; Monica Turner, Angela Byrd and DeAnna Tipton, Byrds of Expression; Whitney Jones, Transitional Homes 4 You; Shelby Farr, Luxury Body Bar; Serrita Sydnor and Alicia Cooper, Butterfly Effect G2W; Charlene Williams, C.H.A.R.M.’D; Michael Bynum, BALSA Foundation). We are delighted to announce our Summer 2018 BALSA Grant Finalists! These ten first time entrepreneurs will each receive a $1000 cash grant, in-kind donations of professional services, and ongoing mentorship to help start and grow their business:
The award ceremony featured a panel discussion with Shay Gillespie of World Wide Technology, Valerie Patton of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative, Gabriela Ramírez-Arellano of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; moderated by Dr. April Warren-Grice of Liberated Genius. The conversation allowed the panelists to share their WHY; why they do what they do as professionals and business owners. All three expressed the importance of believing in yourself and your idea, surrounding yourself with like minded individuals who encourage and support you and your business, building relationships and giving back to the community. See our press release here. 
Food Entrepreneurship Event June 7 at Venture Cafe!
The Food Entrepreneurship event will take place at Venture Cafe 6:30-7:30pm June 7, 2018. Join The BALSA Foundation at Venture Cafe for an informative discussion about starting a food-related business. Panelists are early-stage entrepreneurs and more advanced professionals in the food service business - manufacturing and catering. The presentation is targeted toward first time entrepreneurs: we will cover the basics that those starting out should be aware of, and discuss available help and resources. Bring your questions! Congratulations to our BALSA Grant Spring 2018 Finalists!
The BALSA Foundation Spring 2018 BALSA Grant awards. Each first-time entrepreneurs will receive $1,000 in cash grants, along with professional services and mentorship to help them start and grow their business. (Sitting Left to right: Kianna Hill, Soaps by Ki; Rose Lucas representing Kathy Horry, G.I.F.T.E.D. Music Mentor Program; Myisa Whitlock, Pop Up Professionals; Wendy Todd, Carbon; Ronelle Bailey,True Wardrobe; Standing Left to right: Tom Cohen, Director; Ademola Kassim, Outreach Director, Janell Cleare, BALSA Foundation Volunteer; Gabriela Ramírez-Arellano, Business Director; Joe Monahan, Apotheosis City Project; Erica Chavez, A Dream Cleaning Company; Brittany Goldsby, Speaker Leaks; Arielle Abramzik-Travelstead, Vibrantly Mindful; Arpan Majumder, Finance Director; Aziz Traore, Executive Director). We are delighted to announce our Spring 2018 BALSA Grant Finalists! These ten first time entrepreneurs will each receive a $1000 cash grant, in-kind donations of professional services, and ongoing mentorship to help start and grow their business:
You can read more about the finalists here. The award ceremony featured a conversation with Jason Wilson, CEO of Northwest Coffee Roasting hosted by Dr. Cheryl Watkins Moore, Director of the BIOSTL Inclusion Initiative. The conversation covered Jason’s scrappy professional background that brought him to the success he is currently experiencing in his career, his thoughts for promoting a more diverse and inclusive Saint Louis, and how he ended up on camera handing Joe Biden a bag of coffee. See our press release here. 
Photos from the Spring 2018 BALSA Grant Award Ceremony The BALSA Foundation 2017 year-end message2017 has been an exciting and busy year for The BALSA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The BALSA Group! We selected 20 first-time entrepreneurs to receive the BALSA Grant of $1,000 plus mentorship, reviewed 130 Idea support applications, and the Entrepreneur’s roadmap was downloaded 400 times. For the first time ever we partnered with the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership to award an additional $5,000 to a previous BALSA Grant recipient. We had annual elections on September 18th and elected a new leadership team of officers and Directors - I’m delighted to be the third Executive Director of this organization! We also merged with the East St. Louis Initiative, a student run venture supporting small-scale businesses and entrepreneurs in East St. Louis. This new venture will allow us to work with underserved entrepreneurs in East St. Louis more effectively while providing targeted consulting services to past BALSA Grant finalists. 2018 promises to be even more exciting! We start the year with the 7th BALSA Grant, and are accepting applications January 1 - 15. The new leadership team will build on past success to improve our programs and provide support to underserved entrepreneurs in our region. With best wishes for a safe, joyful and prosperous 2018--
Aziz Traore, Executive Director of The BALSA Foundation" The BALSA Foundation East Saint Louis Initiative awards 4 entrepreneurs pro bono consulting servicesThe BALSA Foundation’s East St. Louis Initiative (ESLI) held it's 3rd Annual Pitch Competition on October 27th, 2017. Nine entrepreneurs from the Greater St. Louis area (including 4 from East St. Louis) participated in the competition, representing local entrepreneurial ventures in industries ranging from retail, human resources, healthcare, and nonprofit. A panel of 3 experienced judges voted for the best pitches on the basis of the robustness of the ideas and the opportunity for ESLI to add value, and selected four entrepreneurs to receive six months of pro bono consulting services from teams of Washington University’s graduate business students. This consulting engagement will aid entrepreneurs in furthering their ventures, with expertise in areas such as strategy, finance, marketing, business development, legal and nonprofit management, free of any charges. ESLI's 2017-2018 cohort (winners of the Pitch Competition) are:
From left to right: Ademola Kassim (judge); Sonia Deal, DEAL-C2; Wyatt Gutierrez (judge); Stanley Franklin, Franklin Staffing Solutions; Grace Griffin and daughter, Tendresse and Sage; Alicia Lohmar, Ladybits Toiletries; Devon Graham (judge). Announcing our merger with the East Saint Louis InitiativeWe're delighted to announce our merger with the East St. Louis Initiative, a student run venture supporting small-scale businesses and individual entrepreneurs in the underserved community of East St. Louis. The venture shall now be known as the BALSA Foundation’s East St. Louis Initiative. The East St. Louis Initiative was founded in 2015 by students from the Olin Business School and the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, to support small-scale businesses and individual entrepreneurs in the underserved community of East St. Louis. ESLI offers entrepreneurs the support of 2-3 member student consulting teams over a 4-6 month timeframe with a wide variety of expertise in areas of business, finance, marketing, legal and nonprofit management, free of charge. The BALSA Foundation is a volunteer-run organization founded in 2014 as the philanthropic arm of the BALSA Group, a student-run consulting organization. The BALSA Foundation’s mission is to promote social equity and prosperity in the St. Louis region by empowering first-time entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. We fulfill this mission by (1) maintaining an online, step-by-step guide to starting a business, (2) providing free feedback from experts to anyone with a business idea, (3) providing cash grants, mentorship, and donations of professional services to first time entrepreneurs who need and will benefit from them the most. The BALSA Foundation’s East St. Louis Initiative will continue the work of serving East St. Louis entrepreneurs with focused consulting services while taking advantage of the BALSA Foundation's network and expertise. We invite entrepreneurs from the East St. Louis area to participate in our 2017 Annual Pitch Competition. The Pitch Competition provides entrepreneurs a stage to pitch their idea to a panel of experienced judges, and the opportunity to win attractive cash prizes. Up to 5 entrepreneurs will be offered the services of a team of business consultants from the MBA program at Washington University, who will work with the selected entrepreneurs for up to 6 months to realize clearly defined business goals, free of charge. The competition will be held on Friday, Oct 27, at the Skandalaris Center at Washington University in St. Louis. For more details and updates, please click here. All interested entrepreneurs are requested to reach out to esliapplication@gmail.com. Meet Our New TeamThe BALSA Foundation held its annual elections on September 18th 2017, and elected officers and directors who are passionate about helping first-time entrepreneurs in the St. Louis region start their businesses. In its three years of existence, more than 700 for first-time entrepreneurs have taken advantage of programs put together by the BALSA Foundation. More specifically, 57 BALSA Grant finalists have received over $55,000 in cash grants, over $90,000 in professional services, and countless hours of personalized mentorship and assistance. Many of the former officers will play a role in the Board of Directors and remain engaged. The new leadership team, made up entirely of part-time volunteers, will work tirelessly to implement programs geared towards entrepreneurs in communities that need it the most. The new officers are: Arpan Majumder (Finance Director); Mark Katerberg (Technology Director); Gabriela Ramirez-Arellano (Business Director) and Aziz Traore (Executive Director). “I am proud and excited to be a part of this organization because of the work it does at the grass-root level” says Aziz Traore the new Executive Director. “Entrepreneurship can be a powerful weapon in improving the economy, prosperity and overall well-being of an entire region. But for that to happen for everyone especially those in under-resourced communities, it is crucial to lower barriers to entry in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The previous leadership team has done a tremendous job in realizing this vision and we hope to deliver on that mission.”
AZIZ TRAORE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Aziz is the Executive Director of the BALSA Foundation and a Senior Scientist at MilliporeSigma working on the development of tissue chips to study drug safety and toxicity. Born and raised in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, Aziz moved to the United States to pursue his education in Engineering in 2005. He received both his Bachelors and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech before moving to Washington University in St. Louis for his postdoctoral studies in Biomedical Engineering. Aziz believes in the power of entrepreneurship and the positive impact entrepreneurs can have on the economic growth and prosperity of an entire region. He is a strong proponent of increased access and participation in the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem by lowering barriers to entry. He also serves in Board of Directors of the Balsa Foundation.
ARPAN MAJUMDER, FINANCE DIRECTOR
Arpan is the Finance Director of the BALSA Foundation, and a graduate business student in the Olin Business School at the Washington University in St. Louis. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Arpan graduated as a mechanical engineer and went on to work in management and business development roles in major multi-national corporations. Arpan's love for the city of St. Louis brought him to be associated with the East St. Louis Initiative (ESLI), a student run body that aids individual entrepreneurs from the underserved community of East St. Louis. His association with the BALSA Foundation began with the successful completion of ESLI's merger with BALSA. Arpan's motivation for driving financial operations at BALSA stems from a belief that stability and predictability of operations will move the BALSA Foundation towards its goal of providing every individual with equal opportunities to succeed.
MARK KATERBERG, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
Mark is the Technology Director of the BALSA Foundation and a software developer at Slalom Consulting where he specialized in front-end web development. He is a transplant from Grand Rapids, Michigan and has received his degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota. Working to help shape a city that encourages its citizens to grow their skills regardless of institutional setbacks is a passion for Mark. He supports STL Women Techmakers, the STL Techies Project, and other St Louis organizations that work for social change.
GABRIELA RAMÍREZ-ARELLANO, BUSINESS DIRECTOR
A native of Guanajuato, México, Gabriela Ramírez-Arellano has spent the last few years helping entrepreneurs and small businesses expand and gain access to capital and opportunities for growth. She earned a bachelor of science in Marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA from Lindenwood University. After graduation she moved to Michigan, where she raised her family and found her voice for helping the community build economic strength through financial literacy, entrepreneurship and education. With over two decades of nonprofit experience, Gabriela has specialized in assisting organizations develop strategic plans to reach their marketing and outreach goals. Now back in St. Louis, she continues to help small business owners as the business counselor at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was recently named by the St Louis Business Journal one of the top 100 people to know to succeed in business. Gabriela and her husband own Don Emiliano's Restaurante Mexicano in O'Fallon, MO and she is active on the board of the Balsa Foundation, The University of Missouri Extension and recently joined the board of Fontbonne University.
The BALSA Foundation awards BALSA Grants to a diverse group of first-time entrepreneurs
Summer 2017 BALSA Grant finalists. Front row, left to right: Kimberly Knox and son, Knox Academy; Cherise Jackson, ReeBrand, LLC; Rachel Simon-Lee, Heartwork Videos, LLC; Javania M. Webb, You Are Worthy, Inc.; April Warren-Grice, Liberated Genius, LLC; Kristin Slater, Plain Louie / Biopic. Back row, left to right: La’Shay M. Williams, Atmospheres, LLC; Kacie Starr-Long, Sew Esteem; Matt Wyczalkowski, BALSA Foundation; Gay Lee Freedman, The Hot Stopper; Daniel Povinelli, BALSA Foundation; Sara Goldson, The Hot Stopper; Mark Katerberg, BALSA Foundation; Chef Marca Nicole, Private Chefs Fit4UMeals; Aziz Traore, BALSA Foundation; Tom Cohen, BALSA Foundation. SAINT LOUIS, September 5, 2017. The BALSA Foundation, a not-for-profit promoting inclusion in the Saint Louis entrepreneurship community, has awarded another round of grants to first-time entrepreneurs and the first ever $5000 STL Partnership Award to a previous BALSA Grant recipient. “We often talk about entrepreneurship in terms of smarts, passion, and determination,” said Matt Wyczalkowski, Executive Director of the BALSA Foundation in his opening remarks at the LaunchCode Mentor Center, where the awards were presented on September 5th. “All of these things are important. Yet what strikes me the most is the bravery it takes to press forward into the unknown, to risk so much with no certainty of success.” The night’s program also included a panel discussion on efforts in Saint Louis to promote entrepreneurship in underserved communities moderated by Ginger Imster from The Saint Louis Economic Development Partnership. The panel was made up of individuals who have dedicated their careers to the effort, including Galen Gondolfi, Chief Communications Officer at Justine Petersen; Alyce Wilson, Director of Grace Hill Women’s Business Center; Kristy Jackson, CEO of DK Solutions & Events and Founder, Social Synergy Project and GLAMM; and Josh Wilson, Executive Director of MISSION: St. Louis. The discussion covered efforts in Saint Louis to help underserved entrepreneurs, the specific needs of those communities, and a couple of success stories including the inspirational history of DK Solutions from founder Kristy Jackson herself. The BALSA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the BALSA Group, a local non-profit strategic consulting group, and was founded on the premise that a more diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem will contribute to a more inclusive and collaborative city. The Foundation offers a downloadable roadmap to starting a business (in both English and Spanish) , a mentorship-for-all program, and individual grants For the 2017 fall grant cycle BALSA grant recipients will receive $1,000 in cash, as well as in-kind awards valued in total at over $25,000, including co-working space from TechArtista and in-kind technical assistance from Faro Law STL, Polsinelli Law, Cortex Innovation Community, Brazen, St. Louis County Public Library, The Private Bank, Sierra Communications and several others. Funding for half of cash grants was made possible by the generous support of the STL Economic Development Partnership. A diverse set of entrepreneurs and industries applied for the grant awards and recipients pitched their ideas to an audience of over 150 at the ceremony on September 5th. New for this grant cycle was a collaboration with the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership that allowed an additional $5,000 to be granted to a previous BALSA grant winner, The STL Partnership Award. It was targeted toward entrepreneurs that made significant progress with their business while also being a positive force for the St. Louis small business community. The $5,000 prize was awarded to CORE + RIND, launching a cashew “cheesy” sauce soon that is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, organic, non GMO and with no preservatives. The grant from the BALSA foundation will help the St. Louis startup through the final stages of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. 
CORE + RIND Founders Candi Tenney (left) and Rita Childers (middle) pose with Ginger Imster from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership The BALSA Foundation will launch its next BALSA Grant cycle on January 1, 2018; details and deadlines will be announced at www.balsafoundation.org.ABOUT THE BALSA FOUNDATION The BALSA Foundation is an all-volunteer non-profit organization established to provide resources, mentorship, and funding to first-time St. Louis entrepreneurs. The BALSA Foundation’s mission is to promote social equity and prosperity in the St. Louis region by empowering first-time entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. We fulfill this mission by (1) maintaining an online, step-by-step guide to starting a business, (2) providing free feedback from experts to anyone with a business idea, (3) providing cash grants, mentorship, and donations of professional services to first time entrepreneurs who need and will benefit from them the most. For more information visit: http://www.balsafoundation.org.
Awards Ceremony Program BALSA Foundation networking and social eventThe success of the BALSA foundation relies on the relentless dedication of its volunteers, the constant support of partners in our community and the determination of first time entrepreneurs in the St. Louis region. On August 1st, 2017 we celebrated the successes of past BALSA grant finalists, recognized and thanked our various supporters in the community. As we look forward to an exciting upcoming cycle, we must continue to build a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem to support the vibrant community of first time entrepreneurs in our region. We are delighted to welcome a new cohort of BALSA grant finalists that will be announced at the award ceremony on September 5th, 2017. 
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