By Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
Non-profit start-up engine E for All has launched a branch Lynn and is looking to bring its successful brand of small business mentoring to the men and women of the Greater Lynn area.
E for All started as the Merrimack Valley Sandbox in Lawrence and Lowell in 2010, with the help of the Desphande Foundation.
Since that time it has graduated 74 small business owners from its workshop and mentoring program into the business world, with 70 percent of those new businesses led by women business founders and 38 percent led by immigrant founders. The estimated total revenue generated by those 74 graduates in 2015 was $3.5 million.
The new Lynn branch has received its initial financial backing from Lynn business owners Tom Demakes of Old Neighborhood Foods and William Mosakowski, who founded Public Consulting Group.
David Parker, founder and chief executive officer of E for All, said he is thrilled to have the support of Demakes and Mosakowski in Lynn and is currently looking for an Executive Director for the Lynn branch. Parker said he is also looking for mentors to help with the program ad share their experiences with others.
The program places prospective business owners into a three-month workshop, known as the Accelerator Program. Following the Accelerator Program, each business owner is mentored for
a year, remaining in the program and under their mentors’ guidance.
“Many people have the ideas (for a business), but don’t have the experience to know how to further develop those ideas,” said Parker.
E for All helps provide these entrepreneurs with the resources, experience and support they need to grow and establish successful businesses, which can employ others and contribute to the local and regional economy.