Entrepreneur Fund

What Entrepreneur Fund does

Entrepreneur Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in 1989 and headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, operating under the DBA "EFund by Entrepreneur Fund." The organization provides flexible small business loans and personalized advisory services to entrepreneurs and small business owners across a 29-county service region spanning Minnesota and Wisconsin. Its core offerings are Lending (flexible small business loans) and Advising (experienced advisory support to help entrepreneurs achieve business goals), complemented by targeted grant programs such as the Rural Field to Market Grant, which supports small and midsize agricultural businesses in rural Minnesota counties.

The business model is nonprofit and relationship-driven: revenue is generated primarily through interest and fees on its loan portfolio, supplemented by programmatic grants from institutional funders such as the Wells Fargo Foundation and the U.S. Treasury's CDFI Fund (which awarded $4.96M in April 2023). Distribution is direct and field-based, with dedicated teams conducting needs assessments and connecting borrowers to appropriate lending and advising options. To date, the organization reports serving 24,000 entrepreneurs, deploying $160 million in cumulative lending, and supporting the creation or sustainment of 20,000 jobs across the region. Strategic partnerships with the SBA, CDFI Fund, and Wells Fargo underpin its capital base and referral pipeline, while its nonprofit status positions community impact over profit maximization.

Name

Entrepreneur Fund

Legal name

Entrepreneur Fund

Website

https://entrepreneurfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Entrepreneur Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution providing flexible small business loans, personalized advising, and targeted grants to entrepreneurs across a 29-county region in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Financial Services / Small Business Lending

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• Business advisory services
• Nonprofit community lending
• CDFI loan programs
• Small business grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest and Fees: As a nonprofit lender, the organization provides flexible small business loans and generates revenue through interest and fees on loans. They also partner with organizations like Wells Fargo for grant programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Entrepreneur Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides flexible small business loans and trusted one-on-one business advising to entrepreneurs across a 29-county region in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It complements its lending and advising with targeted grant programs, most notably the Rural Field to Market Grant for small and midsize agricultural businesses, and acts as an SBA-approved lender and CDFI-certified partner to fill financing gaps left by traditional banks.

Product overview

Entrepreneur Fund operates as a nonprofit lender offering a unified portfolio of two core services—Lending and Advising—alongside targeted grant programs. The Lending and Advising services work together to provide personalized financial support and knowledge to entrepreneurs, while the Rural Field to Market Grant program specifically targets agricultural businesses. The organization serves a 29-county region in Minnesota and Wisconsin, having provided $160 million in total lending to 24,000 entrepreneurs, creating or sustaining 20,000 jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Business Lending Flexible small business loans (including SBA-approved and CDFI-funded loans such as microloans) provided by Entrepreneur Fund to help small and medium-sized businesses in its 29-county Minnesota/Wisconsin service region access capital when traditional lenders decline them.
• Business Advising One-on-one, trust-based advisory services delivered by Entrepreneur Fund's dedicated team to entrepreneurs and small business owners, helping them improve financial stability, build confidence, and achieve growth goals.
• Rural Field to Market Grant Competitive grant program administered by Entrepreneur Fund that awards non-debt capital to small and midsize agricultural businesses in rural Minnesota counties, supporting farm and food business growth and sustainability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24,000 entrepreneurs served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Grameen America: Microfinance nonprofit lending to women entrepreneurs across the U.S. — overlapping underserved SMB lending mission, but with different microloan product structure.

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC): CDFI providing small business loans, advising, and education across Wisconsin, directly overlapping Entrepreneur Fund's Wisconsin service region and core product set.
• Justine PETERSEN: St. Louis-based CDFI offering small business lending and advising to underserved entrepreneurs — closely comparable operating model with nonprofit CDFI structure and advisory integration.
• LiftFund: San Antonio-based nonprofit small business lender with a multi-state footprint providing microloans and advising — directly comparable mission, product mix, and target customer.
• Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF): Minneapolis-headquartered national CDFI providing capital and loan servicing to mission-driven lenders — same Minnesota base, same CDFI model, comparable SMB lending focus.
• CDC Small Business Finance: San Diego-headquartered CDFI providing SBA and small business loans to underserved borrowers across multiple states — same nonprofit lending DNA and SBA lender focus.
• Coastal Enterprises Inc (CEI): Maine-based CDFI providing small business loans, advising, and rural economic development — same integrated model and similar rural/SMB customer focus.
• Northern Initiatives: Marquette, MI-based CDFI providing loans, advising, and grants to small businesses in Michigan and Wisconsin — most direct geographic and mission peer to Entrepreneur Fund.

Broad incumbents

• SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration): Federal agency that backs the loan programs Entrepreneur Fund distributes through; relationship is symbiotic (SBA lender) but SBA's broader policy and capital frameworks shape Entrepreneur Fund's operating environment.

Others

• Opportunity Finance Network (OFN): National membership/advocacy network for CDFIs — ecosystem counterpart that provides training, capital, and visibility to Entrepreneur Fund and its peer CDFIs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EFund_mn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Entrepreneur Fund