Check-in alert: It’s been a couple of months since E3 — or the Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem — first launched its pilot in Wilmington with three entrepreneurs on board.
E3 is an initiative to offer coaching, mentoring and comprehensive resource support services to small businesses. The program was announced over the summer, highlighting two timely missions: to help businesses recover from the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to foster racial equity in Wilmington, a city where Black and brown business owners continue to struggle to find resources, contracts and funding.
Here’s who was included in the first round of the program:
- Gwanyan Barker, Kpelle Designs — A first-generation Liberian American, Barker’s company designs jewelry, head wraps and fabrics to honor her father’s tribe.
- Anthony Argon, Spekciton Biosciences — Argon retired from…