Overview

Why are you interested in becoming a Trustee?

Elevate CCIC, Inc. (Elevate) is interested in becoming a trustee to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in our area who lack equitable access to capital. Elevate is a collaborative community effort providing resources in our rural area to those who want to create business opportunities but need assistance in terms of space, knowledge, and access to resources. We have several programs that will advise entrepreneurs and small businesses.

What is the mission of your organization?

Our mission is to encourage, connect, and grow small and startup businesses in the region by creating a mixed-use, coworking space that provides resources and opportunities to empower success. Our vision is to nurture innovation and economic prosperity in the region through a collaborative community of entrepreneurs.

Borrower Due Diligence

How will you decide who to endorse as a borrower? What due diligence will you conduct?

We will decide on who gets endorsed as a borrower by vetting each entrepreneur or small business through our simple accelerator program, which starts with helping them understand their business plan and five-year budget. Before endorsing a borrower, one of our volunteer business mentors will go over their business plan and budget with them. After proper vetting, the business mentor will make a recommendation to the executive director of Elevate. The executive director of Elevate will have the final say in whether or not a borrow gets endorsed. After proper vetting through our simple accelerator program, we will continue to support the entrepreneur or small business in our incubator program until they are ready to move out on their own.