Building wealth through entrepreneurship

Income inequality

South LA Central LA

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

In South Los Angeles, historically marginalized communities face deep-rooted barriers to economic opportunity generational poverty, underfunded schools, unstable family systems, and limited exposure to entrepreneurial role models. Though Black and Latino residents make up the majority of the population, they own only a small fraction of employer businesses, reflecting systemic barriers to ownership, capital, and growth. Strict lending terms, limited funding access, and a lack of technical support make it nearly impossible for many to launch or sustain businesses. Angel City Business Lab exists to break this cycle. We provide culturally relevant, equity-driven programs that offer training, mentorship, funding access, and hands-on support to help aspiring minority entrepreneurs build sustainable, community-rooted ventures. Through this work, we aim to shift our region’s narrative from exclusion to empowerment.

This grant will support the Angel City Business Lab’s Social Enterprise Incubator, a transformative initiative designed to activate the untapped entrepreneurial potential of historically marginalized individuals in South Los Angeles. This program is a pioneering opportunity discovery process that will unlock many in their entrepreneurial potential. The program offers a structured pathway that includes hands-on training, mentorship, seed funding, creative expression, and a supportive community environment. Participants learn to identify real-world problems, design practical solutions, and launch social enterprises that generate income while addressing issues in their own neighborhoods. By combining entrepreneurship with artistry, collaboration, and personal growth, this incubator equips people not just to start businesses but also to become builders of change in the places they call home.

If successful we will end wealth inequality in South Los Angeles.
South Los Angeles will be known not for its deficits, but for the entrepreneurs it develops and the solutions they create. Residents who were once overlooked will become business owners, job creators, and community leaders designing ventures that reflect the needs, culture, and creativity of their neighborhoods. As these social enterprises grow, they will help shift cycles of poverty into cycles of possibility, inspiring other communities across Los Angeles County to invest in local talent as the foundation for lasting change.