Who We Are

The mission of the ACCESS Foundation is to provide education, mentoring, and capital for underserved and unserved entrepreneurs and their companies to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Our roots were formed in 2020 with the support of TiE Atlanta who launched the ACCESS Program to provide a new avenue for profitable, investable companies to expand their networks and support for their startups. 

Since its founding, the program has invested over $2 million into 14 companies across the Southeast and engaged over 60 mentors who have provided over 1,200 hours of mentorship. Due to the success of the program, it spun off in 2024 to become its own entity: the ACCESS Georgia Foundation. We continue our dedication to continuing the important work of supporting underserved and unserved entrepreneurs to evolve into thriving businesses.

$2 Million

Invested

14

Companies across Southeast

60+

Mentors engaged

1200 hrs.

Mentorship

Our Why

Companies founded by underserved or unserved individuals are being launched at historical rates. However, these companies are not funded equally through traditional investments such as investors, venture capital, and conventional small business loans as their counterparts. 

Early-stage entrepreneurs’ top three asks are always: access to capital, an expansive network, and mentorship.

The ACCESS Georgia Foundation sets the stage for success through its entrepreneurship program that helps to bridge these gaps. We strive to create more inroads to support underserved and unserved startups with thoughtful and strategic programming, events, and outreach to set them up for long-term success. We focus on mentoring, investing, and connecting entrepreneurs in all stages and industries and channeling it to founders that need support in mentoring, capital, and connections.  By partnering with corporations, public and private organizations, municipalities, and investors, our programming for founders includes: 

Meet Our Team

The ACCESS Foundation team represents professionals from different business sectors and regions who all share the same goal and passion to support and elevate budding entrepreneurs.

We are governed by:

Board of Directors

  • Ratifies the strategic direction of the Foundation.
  • Ensures growth and sustainability of the Foundation.
  • Meets monthly.

Executive Committee

  • Creates the strategies and tactics for the Foundation.
  • Ensures timely implementation and is accountable for the results of the Foundation.
  • Meets semi-monthly.

Advisory Council

  • Engages with key stakeholders in the region.
  • Ensures relevance and impact in our focus areas.
  • Meets quarterly.

The 2024 Executive Committee includes

To become a part of the ACCESS Foundation, email us at board@accessgaf.org