The Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (MIEC) at Morehouse College will host a completion ceremony for 20 retail business owners who participated in a six-month cohort at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 4, 2025. The free public event will be held in the African American Hall of Fame at Morehouse College, 830 Westview Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30314.

MIEC, a global model in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, launched the cohort in partnership with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) to address the individualized needs of entrepreneurs operating in the local retail trade industry offering technical assistance and access to capital and contracts that scale profitability and stimulate sustainability. 

“Atlanta consistently ranks among the top cities in the United States for  starting a small business, especially among Black entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Tiffany Bussey, MIEC Executive Director. "Through the generous funding of ACE, we created this cohort to meet the specific needs of local small business owners and help them scale profitably and sustainably."

As part of the cohort, MIEC hosted the ‘Behind the Scenes Marketplace at Perimeter Mall’ experiential learning experience, during which cohort participants engaged in discussion with Lisa Williams, owner of the Marketplace of Georgia Owners, an incubator for local Atlanta small businesses, the Lenox Mall general manager and the Perimeter Mall general manager.

Qualifying retail business owners participating in MIEC’s retail cohort generate over $100,000 in annual revenue. Their business focus areas are beauty and wellness, specialty retail, e-commerce and consumer packaged goods. Every business owner will receive a certification of completion and an opportunity to demo and pitch for three popup slots during the All-Star Weekend Popup event at Cumberland Mall, July 11-13, 2025.

The launch of MIEC’s six-month retail cohort follows the release of its Building Black Business Report, an 18-month community-engaged initiative offering key insight into the development of Black entrepreneurship domestically and internationally, during its 20-year celebration in December 2024.

Learn more about the retail cohort initiative and MIEC online at https://mcecenter.com/. A list of the participating business owners is here.

Dr. Tiffany Bussey and participating business owners are available for media interviews upon request. For media inquiries, contact Nicole Brown at [email protected] or at 941-281-0520.