NEW ORLEANS – Camelback Ventures has partnered with key fellow Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs)-Moonshot, 4.0, NewSchools, and Echoing Green-to create the Entrepreneur Support Hub (ESH) at www.eshub.org. ESH is a new digital platform where social entrepreneurs can explore funding opportunities.
When users arrive at ESHub, they are able to gain clarity about the entrepreneurial journey with clearly defined stages and expected goals, demystifying the funding space, especially for historically marginalized leaders. Users can also explore and filter through over 100 opportunities from familiar organizations such as TechStars, gener8or, and Y Combinator, as well as newer opportunities from The Boettcher Foundation, Black Girl Ventures, and The Residency. New opportunities are being added all the time; the ESHub team is in the process of building more onto the site, but other ESOs can also submit a request for their opportunity to be added.
The group spent a year doing human-centered design and research, collaborating with different creative professionals, to launch the website. Camelback Ventures was the primary grantee, with sub-grants delivered to the partner organizations. Representatives from the five organizations—Camelback, Moonshot, 4.0, NewSchools, and Echoing Green—have met biweekly for over a year to ideate.
“At Camelback Ventures, we operate on the fundamental truth that ‘Genius is equally distributed, but opportunity is not.’ The Entrepreneur Support Hub embodies this principle in action. Countless exceptional resources exist for founders, but access remains deeply uneven. Our mission with the Hub is to democratize these opportunities, creating clear pathways for visionary entrepreneurs who have historically been locked out. While the Camelback Fellowship remains our cornerstone program, the Support Hub represents our strategic expansion to empower diverse founders at every critical stage of their journey—from ideation to scale,” said Shawna Young, CEO of Camelback Ventures.
“At Echoing Green, we’re focused on expanding opportunities for underrepresented social innovators to drive transformative change, including making capital more accessible. Entrepreneurial Support Hub will be a valuable resource not only for Echoing Green Fellows, but for so many early stage social innovators and ecosystem partners,” said Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green.
“Many founders who have participated in one program often engage with others as they continue to grow and scale their ventures. By strengthening connections between our organizations, we’re deepening support for leaders at critical stages in their journeys. We’ve had years of informal collaboration, and the ESH project has been a powerful way to formalize those relationships and build new bridges,” said Frances Messano, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund.
“Moonshot is rooted first and foremost in community. We’ve supported over 100 leaders in Colorado, and we know that their success becomes exponential when they can learn from each other as well as connect with others around the country. There are many grants and fellowship programs out there looking for people just like the Moonshot Fellows, and Moonshot Fellows seek more support and connections—the Entrepreneurial Support Hub will help them find each other,” said Kat Ling, CEO of Moonshot.
“Getting an idea off the ground is just the start—what comes next is often make or break. The Entrepreneurial Support Hub is about making sure founders have the support to keep building, growing, and expanding their impact. We’re proud to be a founding partner and excited to see how this helps more bold ideas take root and thrive,” said Nicole Jarbo, CEO of 4.0.
The Entrepreneur Support Hub launched on April 2 at www.eshub.org. The resources are available freely online to all visitors with no account required. Our Mission: The Entrepreneurial Support Hub empowers entrepreneurs with a supportive network, funding clarity, and relevant resources to turn ideas into social impact.
The Entrepreneur Support Hub will be promoted at a variety of upcoming events, including the NewSchools Summit in San Francisco on May 14-15, Moonshot’s Showcase in Denver on May 15, and Camelback’s Guardian Summit in New Orleans on June 11-12.
Camelback Ventures: A Legacy of Impact
Since 2015, Camelback Ventures has championed diverse entrepreneurs, investing over $7-million in ventures designed to create lasting societal shifts. Backed by leading philanthropic partners including Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Margulf Foundation, the organization continues to prioritize fairness and representation in innovation. The Camelback Fellowship provides $40,000 of investment along with coaching, connections, and community to founders with visionary solutions to challenges in food security, education, workforce development, health tech, and financial literacy. The next Camelback Fellowship application is currently open until April 7. To apply or learn more visit: www.camelbackventures.org/apply.
Camelback Ventures increases access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women by investing in their ventures and leadership while advocating for fairness in their funding. By seeking solutions in the genius of undervalued entrepreneurs of color, Camelback’s vision is to create livable communities and wealth for future generations to inherit.
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