COED Awards Grants to LaunchPad Bootcamp Graduates

The Cherokee Office of Economic Development has awarded over $69,000 in grants to 14 graduates from the second class of its LaunchPad Bootcamp Series.

The second LaunchPad cohort kicked off April 16.

The free four-week series comes as a partnership between COED and Kennesaw State University’s HatchBridge Incubator and is designed to guide Cherokee’s emerging entrepreneurs in launching their business idea or new product to help them grow in the community.

LaunchPad graduates include:

♦ Bomb Babes | Kathryn Cruz

♦ Beyond The Spotlight | Mindy Johnson

♦ Blue Elixir Press | Dusty Beaulieu

♦ Brand Authority Mastery | Edgar Herrera

♦ Corridor Publishing | Gerald Griffith

♦ Holcomb Financial | Hayden Holcomb

♦ Launch Growth Marketing | Keren Herrera

♦ Menagerie On Main | Jamie Foreman

♦ Mermaid Fit Co. | Whitney Cain

♦ Our Trailers Your Stuff | Gary Simmons and Cindy Thomas

♦ Safer Home Services of North Metro Atlanta | Stephanie Villasenor

♦ The Highlight Reel ATL | Lee Meyer and Matt Thomas

♦ Wisewaters Arts and Designs | Nichole Landfair

♦ Y-Not Sharp | Tony and Jill Whitfield

Each participant had the opportunity to earn up to $5,000 to advance their venture, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act through the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners. The 14 graduates were eligible to apply and were awarded the mini grant.

“The LaunchPad program has given us tools that we will revisit,” said Tony Whitefield of Y-Not Sharp. “The idea deck helped us drill down into what Y-Not Sharp is and communicate clearly what it has to offer. The Business Model Canvas allowed us to see the many aspects of our business and how they interact.”

Each week, ventures researched, refined and prepared their venture for launch. Participants walked away from the series with an idea deck, business model canvas and go-to market plan.

“I’ve been so busy running my business in autopilot and never really thought about [many of] the aspects we talked about,” said Dusty Beaulieu of Blue Elixir Press. “I now feel I’ll be able to focus better on my target demographic.”

The third LaunchPad Bootcamp cohort will be held between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., Aug. 2, 9, 16 and 23 at The Circuit, 1 Innovation Way in Woodstock. Applications are open until July 29 and can be submitted at cherokeega.org/launchpad .

The first LaunchPad Bootcamp Series held their last meeting on Feb. 13. Out of 13 graduates, 11 were eligible to apply for the mini grant. COED awarded $51,935 among those 11 for its inaugural session.

“We are so thankful this program was made possible,” said Lee Meyer of The Highlight Reel ATL. “I know we are a lucky community to have these services. We are grateful for the growth opportunities we have had.”

This program is offered as part of COED’s Fresh Start Cherokee initiative. For more information, visit FreshStartCherokee.com .