Business and Society Institute Programs

Meaningful Change Purposeful Action

We put research into action through innovative programs that create better markets and stronger communities both here in Atlanta and globally.

Our Programs

With 1-4 employees, microbusinesses may be individually small, but collectively create a big impact accounting for 7 million U.S. jobs and more than $350 billion in total payroll. When successful, microbusinesses generate income for entrepreneurs and their families while at the same time build neighborhood vitality. 

Start:ME Accelerator Program

Start:ME is an intensive 12-week accelerator program that provides the most promising micro-entrepreneurs (those starting businesses with 1-4 employees) in marginalized metro Atlanta communities business training, mentorship support, and early-stage financing needed to develop their businesses.

Start:ME has been working in the Clarkston community since 2013, expanded to Atlanta's East Lake neighborhood in 2015, and most recently launched in the Southside neighborhood in 2018. The program conducts sessions weekly each spring (January through April) working with 15-18 promising micro-entrepreneurs in each community. The program is delivered by the Goizueta Business School with lead community partners Friends of Refugees, East Lake Foundation, Focused Community Strategies (FCS), and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta.

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Start:ME 2023 Impact Report

StartME23Impact

Microbusinesses, Macro Impact

We served 44 new ventures in three communities in 2023 growing our portfolio of total small businesses served to 395. Read more about Start:ME and its impact.

Good Troublemakers Unite

JLCC23_IUTeam

IU-Kelley Takes Top Prize at JLCC23

Team “Café con Leche” from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business earned the top prize at John R. Lewis Racial Justice Competition (JLCC) for their “Ringing the Bell” strategy, a three-pronged plan designed to help sponsor organization Taco Bell achieve a more diverse supplier base with a goal of 10 percent disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) spend.

2022 Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide

SCTG2020

Creating New, Better, Transparent Benchmarks

Our specialty coffee research team led by Professor Peter Roberts released the 2022 edition of the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide (SCTG) which summarizes coffee pricing contract data 119 companies and organizations summarizing 58,000 coffee contracts. Guide is FREE to download in English, Espanol, and Portugues.

Grounds for Empowerment (Virtual) Experience

GFE Cupping

Balancing the Scale of Financial Equity

Grounds for Empowerment (GFE), one of our flagship specialty coffee program led by Peter Roberts and Giselle Barrera, demonstrates the best of both connecting women specialty coffee farmers in Latin America with trained business school students and experienced industry mentors to advance genuine, equitable economic opportunities. New article in Emorybusiness.com explores how virtual program is impacting farmers and students.

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