Madison, WI – The Milwaukee Bucks and The Lonely Entrepreneur (TLE), a New York-based non-profit that empowers individuals with entrepreneurial skills and support, announced their selection of the Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) as a partner in their initiative to connect Wisconsin Black entrepreneurs with business-skill-building tools and resources to help them advance their businesses.
The Bucks will provide funding for signups of one year of TLE’s entrepreneurial platform to Black entrepreneurs beginning today. This offer is part of TLE’s Black Entrepreneur Initiative (BEI), which currently empowers more than 100,000 current and aspiring Black entrepreneurs across the country. In honor of Martin Luther King Day, Jr., entrepreneurs can sign up today through Wednesday, Jan. 20, at www.lonelyentrepreneur.com/bucks.
Locally, TLE and its BEI will make its entrepreneurial platform available to three Wisconsin-based organizations: the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Black MBA Association, MKE Black, and the Madison Region Economic Partnership. Black entrepreneurs from each of these organizations will receive TLE’s foundational business-skill-building tools and resources to help them advance their businesses.
“Systemic inequalities have created a staggering wealth gap for Black Americans, said MadREP CEO Jason Fields. “While many businesses continue to struggle because of COVID-19, a stunning 41 percent of Black-owned businesses were driven out of business.”
The initiative was created when Fields connected MadREP, the Bucks and BEI, “BEI is fundamentally altering this dynamic by helping Black business owners become stronger, more confident, capable and resilient business leaders,” explained Fields. “Connecting my work there with my work at MadREP and then bringing in my colleagues at the Bucks just made sense. MadREP’s work on this project supports our strategic objectives around leadership, diversity and entrepreneurship while also strengthening the ‘Madwaukee Corridor’ called out in Advance Now 2.0, our comprehensive economic development strategy.”
As a partner organization, MadREP will identify Wisconsin African American entrepreneurs to connect with the program. The sign-up deadline does not apply to individuals referred by a partner organization. Interested entrepreneurs who would like to connect with the program should reach out to MadREP at communications@madisonregion.org.
