Jessica Bobbitt sat at her desk and cried when she got the call. Good tears. Her Black Candle Company – Nashville’s first Black women-owned candlemaking lounge – had more demand than inventory, and she just got the grant money to fix it.
“When I received the information, I literally sat at my desk, and I just cried, because I was just so excited,” says Jessica. “Since launching Nashville’s first ever Black women candlemaking lounge, we have been fortunate to have a steady stream of participants in our experiences and sometimes it is rather challenging, keeping up with that demand.”
That’s what the Re:Generate Fund does. It makes direct capital grants to Twendé graduates, allowing them to start and scale their businesses without giving up equity.
Why This Fund Exists
The numbers tell the story. The average startup needs $23,000 from friends and family to get moving. Median Black household liquid wealth? $3,630. That’s a 6x gap between what founders need and what they can access.
“Many entrepreneurs are able to raise early capital from friends and family to test prototypes, build infrastructure, fuel business development, or hire their first team member,” explains Emily Freitag, Re:Generate Fund co-founder. “But due to historic and persistent wealth inequities, founders of color often don’t have access to this kind of early funding. These eight founders are creating jobs, driving real impact in their communities, and have bold plans to scale their ventures.”
This spring, $40,000 solved 8 specific problems for 8 Nashville businesses:
Meet The Winners
Stuart McClean, BaQ-Bone BBQ carries three generations of Dallas pit master knowledge to Nashville. His food truck was ready except for final equipment pieces.
“I’m a third generation pit master from Dallas, Texas, and I’m the owner of Backbone Barbecue here in Nashville, where we specialize in Texas style barbecue,” Stuart says. “We’ll be using those funds to help get the final pieces of real equipment for the food truck. Our new POS system, some of the lighting that will go inside of the food truck, some of our processing equipment.”
Jessica McMillan and Simone Gonzalez, TNT Goods turned their friendship into a business. Now their charm bar has more demand than they can handle alone.
“We’re so excited to be able to use this grant to expand our TNT charm bar,” they explain. “Without this grant, we wouldn’t be able to hire two new charm stylists. Our requests in August are getting wild. We’re so excited that we won’t have to turn down these opportunities.”
Dwyan Young-Smith, Floradayleaf designs living spaces with greenery. Her clients want bigger projects but she needs better logistics to deliver them.
“As Floradayleaf continues to grow, so do our projects, and this grant is going to help towards the purchase of a new van, which is going to help us to scale our business, operate more efficiently, and show up fully ready to transform even larger spaces with live greenery,” says Dwyan.
Shannon Sanders Jr., Cape Coast Co. produces canned beverages and knows exactly what his business needs: consistent inventory.
“Having a canned product means we always need cans and stock, so with the grant money, the first thing I’ll do is reinvest by having plenty of inventory to last the remainder of the year,” Shannon explains.
The remaining Spring 2025 winners:
- Jessica Johnson, Myrrh Candle Co.
- Chanel Thomas, Blue Sage Wellness
- Leah Langley-McClean, Ellenelle Bridal
“Some of my faves!! I bought from Myrrh and Black Candle Company at the EC day and just bought more Myrrh as a gift. And love TNT goods! Such great brands and companies,” says Shani Dowell, founder of Possip, EC board member, and Re:Generate selection committee member.
Each story follows the same pattern: working business, specific obstacle, targeted solution. The grants don’t create businesses – they remove friction from businesses that already work.
The Track Record
Since 2021, Re:Generate has deployed $281,000 across 41 grants. This spring’s 8 winners bring the total impact to businesses spanning food, beauty, design, retail, wellness, and beyond.
The selection committee reviewed 17 applications for Spring 2025. Eight founders received grants ranging from $2,250 to $8,000 – precisely calibrated to solve specific growth challenges.
What’s Next
Ready to support Nashville’s next generation of entrepreneurs? The Re:Generate Fund needs partners who believe in closing the funding gap for founders of color.
Know a founder who needs targeted support? Share their contact details to explore partnership opportunities and help us build a stronger, more inclusive business community.
Learn more and get involved: ec.co/regenerate
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