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Business Wire
3 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Oprah Winfrey, T.D. Jakes, and Industry Leaders Converge in Dallas for Record-Breaking 2025 Good Soil Forum Presented by Wells Fargo
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 2025 Good Soil Forum, presented by Wells Fargo, concluded in Dallas this weekend with resounding success, as over 2,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders gathered at the AT&T Performing Arts Center from June 12th through 14th for one of the nation's most transformative small business events. "For too long, entrepreneurs—especially those from undercapitalized communities—have been left without the support and access they need to thrive,' said T.D. Jakes. 'The Good Soil Forum is about more than ideas—it's about action...." Share Global icon Oprah Winfrey joined T.D. Jakes, Founder of the Good Soil Movement, for a powerful fireside conversation that anchored the three-day event. The three day event boasted a dynamic lineup of speakers, including Operation HOPE Founder John Hope Bryant; fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo; financial educator Wallstreet Trapper; Camille Rose Founder and CEO Janell Stephens; Founder of CURLS and Huzzy Smart Sips, Mahisha Dellinger; artist and entrepreneur David Banner; and Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole Hayes—who shared insights on building generational wealth, securing funding, scaling businesses, and leading with purpose. Together, they reinforced the Forum's mission to close opportunity gaps for underserved and undercapitalized entrepreneurs. This year's theme, The Transformation Agenda, came to life through dynamic panels, hands-on workshops, high-impact networking, and the marquee moment—the $500,000 Seed Capital Pitch Competition, presented by Wells Fargo. Entrepreneurs from across the country competed for equity-free funding to grow their ventures and drive community impact. Financial technology platform, Hello Alice was also onsite, providing small business owners with valuable resources and guidance to access capital and scale their ventures. The competition concluded with the announcement of this year's standout winners — each recognized for their bold ideas, strong business potential, and commitment to driving meaningful change: 2025 Seed Capital Competition Winners 1st Place – $200,000 Rozalynn Goodwin, Confidence by GaBBy Goodwin — Columbia, South Carolina 2nd Place – $100,000 Kia-Shun Voltz, Shampoo Time — Red Oak, Texas + $50,000 Dallas Community Award 3rd Place – $75,000 Paden Sickles, SickFit — Arlington, Texas The judging panel included the following leaders: Michael Martino, Head of Customer Growth Segments, Consumer, Small & Business Banking, Wells Fargo Dr. K.L. Allen, Chancellor, Western Governors University Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder & President, Hello Alice Ansley Carlisle, Investor, Mark Cuban Companies 'For too long, entrepreneurs—especially those from undercapitalized communities—have been left without the support and access they need to thrive,' said T.D. Jakes. 'The Good Soil Forum is about more than ideas—it's about action. We're convening power to ensure today's dreamers have the capital, mentorship, and networks to turn their visions into sustainable enterprises.' 'Good Soil Forum delivers much needed resources and opportunities to aspiring businesses looking to grow and thrive,' said Kristy Fercho, head of Financial Inclusion at Wells Fargo. 'Wells Fargo is proud to support initiatives that continue to foster innovation and equip entrepreneurs with essential tools to succeed in their journey forward.' The Good Soil Movement —now 26,000+ members strong—continues its mission to help one million entrepreneurs reach $1M in revenue within the next decade. Since its inception, the movement has awarded nearly $1 million in capital, cultivated a thriving ecosystem of founders, and championed the belief that with the right soil, every idea has the potential to grow. Stand Together Foundation, part of the Stand Together philanthropic community, was also onsite at the 2025 Good Soil Forum, supporting community-driven change and backing social entrepreneurs working closest to the challenges. 'Stand Together is proud to partner with the Good Soil Movement to support a growing community of principled entrepreneurs,' said Brian Hooks, chairman and CEO, Stand Together. 'There is no limit to what people can accomplish when they have the opportunity and support required to bring their ideas to life. Good Soil is flipping the script to show the tremendous value that can be created when we stop seeing people as problems to be solved and start seeing them as opportunities to invest in.' Impact partners included presenting sponsor Wells Fargo, supporting partner, the Stand Together Foundation, impact partners Hello Alice, Lemonade Day, The T.D. Jakes Foundation, and Western Governors University, and media partner, iHeart Media. For more information or to join the movement, visit and follow @goodsoilforum for updates. About The Good Soil Movement: Good Soil Movement empowers entrepreneurs by providing networking opportunities, resources, and solutions for growing and scaling businesses. With a mission to help one million entrepreneurs generate $1 million in revenue over the next ten years, Good Soil is fostering economic stability and generational wealth. Since its inception, the movement has grown to a thriving network of over 26,000 members, equipping small business owners with tangible tools for success. Every conversation plants a seed for growth, turning every moment into an opportunity to bloom. Learn more at Follow @goodsoilforum on IG for updates. About Hello Alice: Hello Alice is a financial technology company that provides access to capital, connections, and education to over 1.5 million entrepreneurs. Through data-driven business plans, Hello Alice delivers personalized recommendations that drive profitable solutions between small businesses and give entrepreneurs access to the resources they need to grow. In turn, our business health engine for banks and enterprise business services helps corporations increase engagement and transactions with small businesses. The result is more money in the pockets of small businesses and the brands that serve them. Founded by Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore, Hello Alice remains steadfast in its mission to ensure that every small business owner has the resources to thrive and live their dream. For more information visit: About Stand Together Foundation: Stand Together Foundation is dedicated to empowering individuals to reach their full potential through community-driven change. We are building a movement of social entrepreneurs who believe in people, work with individuals closest to the problem, and unite with anyone to do right. Through innovations that inspire Americans to help each other, they are building stronger, safer communities where all people can learn, contribute, and live lives of meaning. Stand Together Foundation is part of the Stand Together philanthropic community. Learn more at
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AI isn't just for Big Tech: What it means for small businesses
Listen and subscribe to The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcast. Running a small business is hard. Let AI make it easier. This week on The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore, Exer AI Co-Founder and CEO Zaw Thet joins the show to answer the question: How can AI grow my business? From calendar management to time management, Thet breaks down all of AI's capabilities and best practices so entrepreneurs can use it to maximize their time and help grow their businesses. Yahoo Finance's The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore takes you on a journey with America's entrepreneurs as they navigate the world of small business. This post was written by Lauren Pokedoff How to y'all. I'm Elizabeth Gore. Welcome to the Big Idea from Yahoo Finance, the show that navigates the world of small business and entrepreneurship. All business start with one light bulb moment, and I'm going to take you on a journey with America's entrepreneurs. As the co-founder of the smallSmall business funding platform, Hello Alice, has always been my mission to help ensure entrepreneurs have the tools they need to live the American dream. We're going to get between the spreadsheets with these operators to flow from their smallest failures to their biggest successes. So let's cowboy big idea question is how can AI grow my business. Now our industry focus today is software. I was at a small business event last night and I asked 100 small business owners how many of them were using AI and literally every person raised their hand. It was we did a study at Helloa Wallace that showed us that only 7% are actually fully adopting it as a tool. Joining me today to talk about this is serial entrepreneur and investor Zaha. Zah is a wonderful friend and has been at the helm of new technology since the first dotcom era when he was only 19 years old. Zah literally created SMS text messaging with his former company for info. I think I was just riding horses when I was is currently the CEO and co-founder of Xer AI, the leading clinical AI platform built in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, Duke, Stanford, UCSF and other top health systems. Exer captures human motion to help indiagnose and treat disease. Saul has been a mentor and advisor of mine in Hellowes for over a decade. He's an exceptional dad and a great friend. There's no one better to discuss AI and how it can be used to help small business. So let's talk to known each other 1515 years now when we when we met when we were 4, and you, I mean, you've lived a lot of lifetimes. That's why I think it's fun to talk to you about AI because you've been kind of since you were 17 doing businesses with that photographic memory of yours, is that right? It's it's been a long journey since I was 19 is when I started my first company. Well, I mean, and you basically, you won't say it like in the baselines. Is that. Well, in the end, what we were doing was basically connecting people to text messaging and so helping people text each other, but then also helping businesses connect over messaging. So if you remember, for those of you that are listening or the early days when it was on a flip phone, like a razor or one of these things where we actually had to go in and type 15 different numbers to try and type something. Yeah, we got so good at that. I don't know how to get back to, you know, if you wanted to get, to get sports scores to get of these things, there was no way to actually connect businesses to be able to do that. So we powered that for all of the country. I mean, not bad for a kid who's coming up from Wisconsin, right? Yeah. Your folks came over from Burma and both clinical scientists and physicians. So how has thatHow is coming out of a household like that pushed you in this direction? Well, if anything, it was not the direction that I was supposed to be pushed in. The direction that I was supposed to be pushed in was to go be a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer or something of those nature. And so I was working in science and in labs from a really, really early age. So tellus about the light bulb moment that made you think, all right, I'm going towards this industry. Uh, I think what probably tipped me over the edge though was that I got my first computer when I was about 4 years old, 5, maybe 5 years old, and it was an Apple IIC, and so, um, it was one of those things where it had no hard drive and it basically had one of those gigantic floppy disks that you have to go stick in and maybe you 120 kilobytes, which is basically the the page that you have in front of you that you could actually store on this disk, um, and I got that thing to basically say the equivalent of hello world and make, make it print something and I was like, here we go. This is, this is, this is what I'm gonna do. I didn't know it could be a career for the rest of my life until I got to Stanford in the, in the late 90s and then my eyes opened and I was like, is this is what I want to be doing. Let's jump forward now. So you have Xer, incredible company, and what I get excited about is is way we move, transforming people's access to health care like my mom has such mobility issues. Tell us about Xer. Yeah, so XR is a clinical AI company and what we do and the premise from very early on has been can we capture human motion just using things like our phones or a tablet, no straps, no wearables, no things that you have to go put on, and can we put that in the hands of healthcare providers? We're not trying to or nurses or anyone else we're trying to enable them so that they can give precision medicine at scale to people like your mom and so what we do is we basically look at the human body, analyze it assess it all of that is done on the edge so there's no patient videos or anything that gets recorded at all and then we can use that to help doctors and help providers basically treat and diagnose different diseases. So it might be mobility issues like you're a fall risk. It might be things like you have a neurological condition and you're fighting Parkinson's or some other disease, anything to do with human motion in the body. We basically have built modules for and then worked with big institutions across the country to deploy that. So. Could thathave even existed even 5 years ago? Absolutely not. No, there's no way. There was just not enough power on these devices to be able to handle so when we first started we knew that it was coming, we knew it was possible we had to go train all of this data basically to to inform our neural networks that we use and then do a ton of research and work with partners across the country to validate that, hey, we can understand and see what and look looks like we know when someone's walking, whether they're walking with a problem, arthritis in their knees, stenosis in their back, all these different kinds of issues. Well, so with that, our big idea question today is how do I use AI in my small business? And the reason I ask you, could that even happened 5 years ago isYou know, I think every small business should really consider AI no matter what their industry. I mean, what advice would you give? I'm just starting my business. How am I thinking about AI on Main Street? So AI is everywhere at this point in a in a great way, right? And I don't think AI is necessarily going to replace humans. Like we're not anywhere close to this Grand Terminator notion right of like artificial. I don't want you to be replaced. You're a good friend of mine. I want to see. We'll see what AI AI avatar is going to sound I think for small business, there's really 3 things to remember. So the first thing to remember is use it in all the tools that you already have. So if you look at Square, if you look at all the things that a small business might use, there those AI tools are getting built in there so you can definitely do second thing is use chat GPT, use these prompts inside of a business. Um, I was talking to a good friend of mine who runs a hair salon. They use chat GPT to figure out what color to mix, and so they'll basically store it, um, all the different colors that they have, and then they'll ask it and they'll say, hey, you know, I've got to do X, Y, and Z thing. What are the right three combinations of things that I need to mix together? And it it sped them up probably by 10 minutes instead of having to go ask. If if you just walking down the street. Who do you think is using AI right now? I don't think they're going to answer a hair salon. And that just inspires me for a bakery, a restaurant. Folks are so time poor. Small business owners, that's the toughest commodity you have is time. And it sounds like it's literally giving folks time and efficiency back. Itis. I think that's that's the key. It's not just it's time and then it's also solving a lot of the staffing problems that small business have. If you think aboutEither it's finding minimum wage workers right to to help in the front of house or otherwise, right, that's actually fairly difficult and actually fairly expensive and so what we're starting to see I think is a lot of small businesses that are using AI tools to help with things like scheduling and calendaring also at an interesting point where AI has gotten across what we call the uncanny valley, right? So it used to be that you didn't really know that you were necessarily, you knew when you were talking to an AI of some sort, right? It was fairly stilted, well, how are you my CPUs and that process of learning computer. Now I'm a robot. Now we're at a point where AI can actually conversate with humans. It passes this Turing test, which is an old test that AI has had for a very long so we're getting to where it can interact with humans. It it can solve some of those staffing problems for small business. It can solve some of those inefficiencies still in a way where their customers really feel like they're still getting a great experience. You know, I think that's great advice for small business owners and getting even more tactical for them. Um, where do I even start? So, you know, are there resources that you would suggest that they look at as they're getting to know how to use AI for their business? Sure, absolutely. So I think there'sThe easiest areas to start when I think about a small business are basically around sales and marketing, right? So sales and marketing for any small business, whatever, whether you're selling to consumers or whether you're selling to businesses is always an issue, right? Who's gonna build my website? Who's gonna make a flyer, who's gonna create social media posts, all of those things are easily solvable now with AI, um, and so you can go into a tool like Chat GPT and you can tell it, hey, I'd like for you to create a content calendar for me for the next month and I'd like, uh, I'd like for the tone of voice to be fun. I'd like for it to be optimistic, uh, my business is call it a dog grooming salon instead of a hair salon. So I want to make it pet centric obsessed with. I know. He's 5 and you're upset about it and he and others can get basically all the content built for them right it's a really super easy tool to use. I would download Chat GPT on your phone. Most folks that are running small businesses are not sitting in front of their desk all day every day. So put it on your phone. And then the other thing to remember, and I think this is the absolute key thing to remember is that you cannot talk to chat GPT or these other AI agents like you're typing something search engine you. So I'm typing versus I'm typing in a chats if you're typing and you've been trained to see that we're saying, right? Cos I want. I want a show tonight and maybe Google, you know, hopefully will power some of those options and the search results will come up. Talking to an AI like Chat GBT or using AI like that, you need to think about it like you're actually talking to a human. Really. And so it doesn't have to be super long, but remember that you have to give it guidance and actually the more guidance you give it, the if you go deep into the AI, they keep talking about this idea of tokens, and a token is basically what the AI does with your typing as afterwards, and it turns out that language into tokens and then uses that to go do its magic so we can to a million tokens now in chat GPT, which is a ton. You can basically give it pages and pages ofstuff. So we're all bullish on AI, but are there areas where you think AI needs improvement? There's tons. I mean, it's growing so fast and things are happening so quickly.I think that image generation still has a ways to go, right? If you're using these professional tools, I think I saw one today where you can create a video ad basically from scratch by just typing in about a paragraph of text that's not really available to most people yet those models and the amount of compute power to nerd it spend that you have to use for that is not there. So you'll notice, and I think people will see this if they try and create fun images like I do with my kids and chat GPT, a lot of times the spelling is off and you're like, how can you create this amazing image? And then you put 4 ends in panini or something funny or this has actually happened to that is something that I think is going to get better over time. We're just in the early inning like I would call this the second inning of the way, I still can't spell as you know, and so nothing's ever going to improve that. Maybe I my guidance for people is just remember two things, uh, give it a goal, right, to say the goal of what you want. I'd like to create Facebook messages or Instagram, uh, posts for my dog grooming business, and I'd like for those to be in a fun sassy format, you know basically break down what you want the output to look like. I'd like you to return this as a Google Doc. I'd like you to return this as a PDF, and I want you to create these images in in this format. If you give it basically the goal and you give it the return format and then you also give it a couple of things that you don't want it to do, reminders, warnings, and then a little bit about your business, it's gonna return amazing results for you. So, so that's really the the reminder. All right, so I'll hold that thought. We'll be right back on the big back to The Big Idea. I'm Elizabeth Gore here with Xer founder Zoet. So I want to talk about the human element a little bit because sometimes there's fear and you and I, I think when we got to be really good friends, it was after you sold for info and you were, I was at the UN and you were donating a lot of your time and money to the UN and we were in refugee camps in different areas. And I remember in some of the camps, there'd be one computer and there would be a know, of 100 people waiting to get on that computer. And so I always thought the internet and computers and so on were really democratizing information. And I actually really feel that way, particularly for small business owners around AI. It's going to give them their time back, it's going to lower their there's always a human behind it, and you have a very unique day coming up. So you're going to go scrubbing to 4 surgeries and you know, even though you have an AI technology, you're still going as a human being with the surgeons. So just, just talk to me about, well, first of all, tell us really quickly are you're doing today because it's insane. Um, but just what is the human element behind it? Uh, tomorrow we're looking at basically patients that are going in for total knee or total hip operations. And so by that, if, if most people are pretty familiar with getting their knee replaced or someone that they know getting a knee or a hip replacement, isn't it? Oh yeah, total knees a year. Yeah, for 40 because they last forever, for 50 part of what we do basically before and after the surgery is basically analyze how people walk and so that they can when they actually put the knee in or they put the hip in, they can put it in at the right angle so you can actually walk more normally because everyone walks a little different, right? Some of us walk a little bit more bow legged, a little swag, right? Some, some people are just straight up and down, ready to go. And um why are you walking in the tech is in does that need to be in the room? Oh, I think, and I think this is advice for any small business owner. Like I have to go see it basically in action, right? It's, it's one thing to basically sit behind a keyboard or a desk and a computer and look at these things. It's another to really see the impact on the human condition. And that's what gets me so excited about X is like we're changing hopefully millions of people's lives for the better. We're giving doctors tools to deliver this precision medicine at in order to do that we have to go see how it actually gets used in the field we can't just sit behind a desk and so that's why I'm scrubbing in tomorrow to see what that looks like. We talk a lot on this show about mistakes and we call our mistakes the dirty unicorns. And so, you know, you and I made a lot of mistakes. We talk about them all the time, but can you pick one of your dirty unicorns that we can all learn from? Oh gosh, I have so many dirty. I mean, I'm always reminded of that Michael Jordan, right, like how many shots I think he said he missed 000 shots in his career, right? And had a game winning shot.26 game winners that he missed despite all of success. So I never think about it as failure, right? I think about it as feedback. It's like success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm was what Winston Churchill said. So to pick one is hard, but I would say to me, know, especially early in my career, I wasn't great about picking co-founders. Like it was something that surprises me about you. Yeah, I mean, I think you, when you're um when you're in a lane and you have other folks that you trust around you that are suggesting people, you sometimes you get caught up in that and you don't really sit and do the diligence and really take the time to like get to know someone and understand, can you work with them? Or you just blindly say, I can see past those things and it's going to work out even though I'm not necessarily going to be happy every for me, you know, at this point in my career, you know, I'm almost 45, um, I'm at a point, uh, I know, uh, middle aged, uh, middle aged power.I, I'm at a point where like I'm, I'm seeking to, yes, change the human condition for the better, but then also do that, you know, with happiness and with health beside me, and that involves culture, right? That involves team. Like I've, I, you know, I've had some co-founders that I won't name that in previous lives that just stinkers, really dirty you know, 3 years into the journey, it just ended up being, you know, a horrible thing to wake up and go to the office every day. And that's not a that's not a good feeling for anyone. There's no AI that can fix that. No, no, there's no AI that can solve that. There's no therapist that can even solve that. would be my advice is like, don't, you know, don't just jump in, make sure that it's really going to be a good fit, um, because I've certainly learned from those mistakes and sometimes you have to make mistakes and learn from them in order to get to the other side. Soyou live in y'all are big hunting, fishing family. Yeah, and you and I fish together a lot, which is awesome. And um, but I wonder, you know, when do we walk away from AI? You know, when do you get your dog and your boys and go out and you're hunting and just step away. Hopefully all the time. I think that's the benefit of AI when it's used smartly is that it enables these efficiencies. It gives us time back. It's not something that actuallyYou know, has to necessarily detract like, oh, we're we're turning it over, we're all going to be buried behind computers. Let AI do the work for us for the things that aren't human, right? Or that no one loves to be sit, well, maybe some people, but loves to be sit and buried in spreadsheets or other things all day. I do not either. Um, and so I'd much rather start a task or start 4 deep research projects on chat GPT at a then go have time to go work out or get outside, get some sun, get some vitamin D. Like there's nothing better. Go spend more time with your family. I love you. You're sweet. Thank you for coming the end of each episode, I like to give a shout out to a small business who is doing amazing work. Today, I'd like to shout out one of Zah's favorites, the Parlor Capitol Hill, co-owned by Brooke Schoenborn. The Parlor is a salon that is based out of Denver, Colorado. What started as a singular shop over 30 years ago in Boulder, the parlor has now expanded to 8 locations throughout provide everything from haircuts to colors to makeup application to aesthetician services and more. Check them out at the Thank you to Za for coming on the show and thank you for joining us. We hope you learned a lot. This has been a big idea from Yahoo Finance. Please make sure to scan the QR code below for Yahoo Finance check us out at the Big Idea wherever you get your podcasts. And if you follow on Amazon Music, just ask Alexa, play the big idea. You can also come say hi to to me at any of my social channels at Elizabeth Gore USA. I'm Elizabeth Gore, and as my grandmother always said, hold your head up high and give them hell. See you soon. This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services.
Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Progressive Drives Small Business Forward with $1 Million in Commercial Vehicle Grants
Applications Now Open for Small Business Owners Seeking Support for Commercial Vehicle Needs MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Progressive Insurance®, in cooperation with Hello Alice, today announced the opening of the 2025 Driving Small Business Forward grant application, committing $1 million in grants to empower small businesses across the United States. Twenty recipients will be awarded $50,000 each to go toward the purchase of a commercial vehicle and related expenses. 'Our mission extends beyond simply providing funds; we're investing in the growth of small businesses across the country,' stated Karen Bailo, Commercial Lines President at Progressive Insurance. 'With $1 million in grants planned to be distributed this year, we'll reach over $2.5M in funding since we started the Driving Small Business Forward fund. We're proud to be a catalyst for their businesses to continue to move forward.' To date, Progressive has distributed $1.5 million in funding to 40 recipients through its collaboration with Hello Alice. 'This grant enabled us to invest in specialized equipment, enhancing the safety and efficiency of our bee removal operations. It also allowed us to expand our Juvenile Hall Beekeeping Program, teaching at-risk youth valuable skills and the importance of pollinator conservation,' said Dermot Jones, owner of Jones Family Bee Removal and 2024 grant recipient. To apply and learn more about the program, visit Additionally, grant recipients are invited to participate in the Boost Camp, a 12-week business coaching program from Hello Alice designed to equip business owners to capitalize on the grant funds. Hello Alice, a free online platform, empowers businesses from launch to growth. It provides entrepreneurs with essential resources like knowledge, funding opportunities, networks, and connections to a vast community of over one million small business owners. This is the fourth year Progressive has worked with Hello Alice to distribute grants to small businesses. Key Program Features: To qualify for this program, entrants must be the leading executive of a small business with 10 or fewer employees and less than $5M in annual gross revenue with a demonstrated need for a qualifying commercial vehicle and clear plan for scaling their business. The deadline for applications is June 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Recipients will be notified via email and publicly announced in August. For full eligibility requirements, including restricted businesses, see the Terms & Conditions. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S./D.C., 18+ (or 19+ for residents of AL/NE). Void where prohibited. For more information on how to apply, watch here. About Progressive Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however it's most convenient for them — online at by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers. Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®. The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR. About Hello Alice Hello Alice is a fintech platform connecting 1.5 million small businesses to capital, connections and opportunities. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Progressive Insurance
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Progressive Drives Small Business Forward with $1 Million in Commercial Vehicle Grants
Applications Now Open for Small Business Owners Seeking Support for Commercial Vehicle Needs MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Progressive Insurance®, in cooperation with Hello Alice, today announced the opening of the 2025 Driving Small Business Forward grant application, committing $1 million in grants to empower small businesses across the United States. Twenty recipients will be awarded $50,000 each to go toward the purchase of a commercial vehicle and related expenses. "Our mission extends beyond simply providing funds; we're investing in the growth of small businesses across the country," stated Karen Bailo, Commercial Lines President at Progressive Insurance. "With $1 million in grants planned to be distributed this year, we'll reach over $2.5M in funding since we started the Driving Small Business Forward fund. We're proud to be a catalyst for their businesses to continue to move forward." To date, Progressive has distributed $1.5 million in funding to 40 recipients through its collaboration with Hello Alice. "This grant enabled us to invest in specialized equipment, enhancing the safety and efficiency of our bee removal operations. It also allowed us to expand our Juvenile Hall Beekeeping Program, teaching at-risk youth valuable skills and the importance of pollinator conservation," said Dermot Jones, owner of Jones Family Bee Removal and 2024 grant recipient. To apply and learn more about the program, visit Additionally, grant recipients are invited to participate in the Boost Camp, a 12-week business coaching program from Hello Alice designed to equip business owners to capitalize on the grant funds. Hello Alice, a free online platform, empowers businesses from launch to growth. It provides entrepreneurs with essential resources like knowledge, funding opportunities, networks, and connections to a vast community of over one million small business owners. This is the fourth year Progressive has worked with Hello Alice to distribute grants to small businesses. Key Program Features: Financial Support: $1 million total in grants will be distributed to 20 selected small businesses owners. Business Health Engine: Applicants can participate in Hello Alice's proprietary Business Health Engine, a digital experience that helps small business owners assess their overall business health and provides a specialized action plan for improvement. Intuitive Application Process: The application process is designed to be user-friendly, reflecting a commitment to supporting all eligible small businesses. Boost Camp Curriculum: This program will instill repeatable frameworks focusing on core concepts such as financial budgeting and forecasting, funding and pitch strategies, and sales and customer acquisition. Ongoing Support: Hello Alice is dedicated to fostering a supportive network for small business owners, recognizing their vital role in local economies. To qualify for this program, entrants must be the leading executive of a small business with 10 or fewer employees and less than $5M in annual gross revenue with a demonstrated need for a qualifying commercial vehicle and clear plan for scaling their business. The deadline for applications is June 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Recipients will be notified via email and publicly announced in August. For full eligibility requirements, including restricted businesses, see the Terms & Conditions. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S./D.C., 18+ (or 19+ for residents of AL/NE). Void where prohibited. For more information on how to apply, watch here. About Progressive Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however it's most convenient for them — online at by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers. Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®. The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR. About Hello Alice Hello Alice is a fintech platform connecting 1.5 million small businesses to capital, connections and opportunities. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Progressive Insurance Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Small business week: How to raise funds the right way
Small business owners are being celebrated this week, but many say the funding they've received still isn't enough. Hello Alice co-founder and president Elizabeth Gore, who also hosts the Yahoo Finance podcast "The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore," breaks down how entrepreneurs can access grants, loans, and smart credit options to keep their businesses growing. Yahoo Finance's The Big Idea with Elizabeth Gore takes you on a journey with America's entrepreneurs as they navigate the world of small business. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
