The deadline to apply for the next round of Comcast RISE services is October 16. Comcast RISE is a multi-year, multi-faceted initiative launched to strengthen small businesses hard hit by COVID-19. New Mexico small businesses owned by people of color and women are encouraged to apply for the chance to receive consulting, media, and creative production services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, or technology upgrades from Comcast Business, based on their specific needs.
Businesses owned by people of color and women that are based in Comcast service areas throughout New Mexico are eligible to apply for this program. This comes as part of an expansion of Comcast RISE earlier this year, to further its efforts to advance digital equity and help provide underrepresented small business owners with access to the digital tools and resources they need to thrive.
According to a 2020 study by the National Association of Women Business Owners, 42% of businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, with more than 1,800 new businesses being started every day. That’s nearly five times the national average. However, according to the same study, women-owned businesses are growing at only half the rate of those run by men, namely because women struggle to access capital and other resources to help them succeed. Additionally, according to the United States Census, in 2019, more than 1 million employer businesses in the United States were minority-owned.
Since the program’s inception, Comcast announced over a dozen New Mexico small businesses as Comcast RISE recipients. This includes Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe, a woman-owned business, as well as Trendz Beauty Supply, 50/50 Coffee House & Pub, and Credit Solutions of New Mexico.
When the pandemic hit, our focus continued to be to take care of our employees, that was the most important thing,” said Yashoda Naidoo, president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Cafe. “This also meant that our focus was not on advertising. Comcast RISE has helped us to maintain marketing efforts during this time, and make sure that our brand is getting in front of consumers.”
Comcast RISE, which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength, and Empowerment, is part of Project UP, Comcast’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help provide underrepresented small business owners with access to the digital tools and funding they need to thrive. Over the next 10 years, Comcast is committing $1 billion to programs, like Comcast RISE, and partnerships to reach an estimated 50 million people with the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.
In its first year alone, Comcast RISE provided more than $60 million in grants, marketing, and technology services to more than 6,700 small businesses owned by people of color – including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian Americans.
More information and the applications to apply for marketing and technology services are available at www.ComcastRISE.com.