Market Ready: Entrepreneurship

Income inequality

San Gabriel Valley South LA South Bay County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership) Central LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for closing income racial wealth gaps. Small businesses drive 44% of U.S. economic activity and create 2/3 of new jobs, making them critical to community vitality. Yet, BIPOC communities remain underrepresented in business ownership. At-risk young people—particularly those from low-income, BIPOC, and underserved communities—face systemic barriers that perpetuate income inequality, including limited access to business and financial education, mentorship, and startup capital. They are eager but underprepared: while 60% of Gen Z express interest in starting a business, only 20% feel equipped to do so. At Kaimore, we see young people with talent, creativity, and drive—but without structured support, their ideas rarely become income-generating ventures. The time to act is now: they need economic alternatives that reflect their realities, strengths, and dreams.

This grant will support the Entrepreneurship component in our Market Ready (MR) Program, a year-round initiative designed to close opportunity gaps for at-risk young people in Los Angeles through a holistic, equity-centered model. MR integrates four key components—mentorship, financial literacy, career development, and entrepreneurship—to build economic mobility and disrupt cycles of poverty.
The segment begins with a Business 101 Masterclass Series, where participants build skills in budgeting, branding, market research, and strategic planning. Those who complete the curriculum develop a business concept and present it during Pitch Day, a competitive showcase where top participants are awarded startup capital—a crucial barrier for many first-time entrepreneurs. Those ready to move forward then enter our Business Accelerator, where they receive hands-on coaching to refine their business plans, conduct market testing, and develop their minimum viable product (MVP) or service. Each business will be launched publicly during Kaimore’s annual fundraising reception, offering visibility and real-world experience. Our model emphasizes realistic, low-cost strategies to start and sustain a business. Throughout the program, participants are paired with trained mentors—often entrepreneurs themselves—matched by personality, goals, and our in-house Youth Adversity and Resilience Assessment to help navigate challenges, apply course knowledge, and in their personal and professional growth.

By increasing access to entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and startup resources, we can empower young people to build sustainable income, reinvest in their communities, and become agents of long-term economic equity. In the next year, we hope to enroll 80 youth in our program. In the short term, participants will gain tools to pitch ideas, generate income, and build MVPs. We’ll aim to guide at least 20% to launch real businesses while boosting skills and confidence. Long term, this work will reduce unemployment, combat homelessness, and increase economic mobility. If Black & Hispanic-owned businesses reached parity, tens of thousands of jobs could be created and the racial wealth gap could shrink by 25% (LAEDC). With continued funding, we’ll scale through alumni mentors and regional expansion—building a more inclusive LA economy by investing in young people today. By 2050, we envision closing opportunity gaps through a growing ecosystem of education, industry, and mentorship.