Comcast has announced that 100 small businesses in the Greater Houston area will receive comprehensive grant packages as part of its Comcast RISE initiative. These packages include business consultation services, educational resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, creative production, media scheduling, and technology makeovers. The recipients are among over 14,000 entrepreneurs nationwide who have benefited from the Comcast RISE program since its inception.
The Comcast RISE initiative focuses on supporting small businesses, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and investing in local communities. The program aims to help businesses not just survive but thrive, with an emphasis on economic growth. Regions included in this round of grants are Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Richmond, VA, and southern Colorado, with a total of 500 grants announced.
A sample of Houston's grant recipients includes Red Circle Ice Cream in southwest Houston and Miyagi Ken International Karate Academy in Spring. Nickey Ngo, owner of Red Circle Ice Cream, expressed gratitude, stating, "I'm speechless. As a small business, this means the world to us. We're a small mom and pop ice cream shop, doing everything by ourselves. I feel like I won the lottery. Comcast RISE will help grow my business and keep up with the competition."
Loren Hudson, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer of Connectivity and Platforms at Comcast, highlighted the program's community impact: "Supporting small businesses means investing in the heart of our communities. By empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners with the skills and resources they need to grow and succeed, we help ensure our local neighborhoods can flourish and thrive too."
Launched in November 2020, Comcast RISE was initially designed to help small businesses hardest hit by COVID-19, including bakeries, barber shops, childcare centers, and cleaning services. The program has since evolved to focus on helping businesses and their communities thrive, emphasizing economic growth.
The grant packages include various components to aid small business growth:
- COACHING SESSIONS - Business assessment and coaching that provide business owners with recommendations on how to help grow their businesses.
- EDUCATION RESOURCES - 12-month access to online entrepreneurship courses, learning modules, and resources for small business owners.
- MONETARY GRANT - $5,000 monetary grant.
- CREATIVE PRODUCTION & MEDIA - Professionally produced 30-second TV commercial, plus a media strategy consultation and a 180-day linear media schedule. (Taxes and other fees may apply for production and media services.)
- TECHNOLOGY MAKEOVER - Computer equipment and Internet, Voice, and Cybersecurity services for 12 months. (Taxes and other fees may apply for tech makeover services.)
Additionally, any small business owner can access the Comcast RISE destination on X1, which features aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. X1 customers can use the voice remote by saying "Comcast RISE."
Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company's $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility, and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators.
