City Startup Labs
City Startup Labs is a Charlotte, NC nonprofit running entrepreneurship and workforce-readiness programs — including the ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program and Restorative Pathways — for justice-impacted individuals, supplemented by ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative device-repair enterprise launched in 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What City Startup Labs does
City Startup Labs (CSL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, operating since 2014 with a 1–10 person staff focused exclusively on entrepreneurship pathways for justice-impacted individuals (people with arrest, conviction, or incarceration history). Its programmatic engine is the Learn/Build/Deploy (LBD) framework, delivered primarily through the ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program (REEP) launched in 2018 with cohort-based training, mentorship, and a "Business-in-a-Box" package that pairs up to roughly $2,500 in kick-starter capital with back-office services. CSL also runs Fundable Workshop Series for pre-launch ideation and Restorative Pathways, a healthcare-sector workplace-readiness program co-designed with Atrium Health (and historically with Wake Forest Baptist Hospital) for direct employer placement. All cohort programs are delivered free to participants.
CSL's revenue model is grant-funded philanthropy plus emerging earned revenue. The disclosed funding stack includes a $3.6M Charlotte City Council Workforce Development grant, a $400,000 NCDIT Digital Champions Grant (July 2024), a $10,000 U.S. Bank Foundation grant (December 2024), and historical support from the Kauffman Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Knight Foundation, Wells Fargo, Ally Charitable Foundation, and other regional funders. CSL is co-located with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) on its Central Campus (Hall Building, 1112 Charlottetowne Avenue) following a February 2024 relocation.
In June 2025, CSL launched ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative digital device repair enterprise at 5430 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, operated in partnership with iFixAmerica as the organization's first meaningful earned-revenue social enterprise. The model attempts to convert LBD-trained participants into cooperative owners while monetizing device repair services. Earlier, in March 2021, CSL acquired BLKTECHCLT, expanding its programmatic scope into Black-tech community-building. Leadership is founder-led: Henry Rock as Founder & Executive Director (2015 Purpose Prize Fellow) with directors of Strategic Impact, REEP, and Restorative Pathways, and a senior restorative-justice consultant.
City Startup Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- City Startup Labs
- Legal name
- City Startup Labs, Inc.
- Website
- https://citystartuplabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- City Startup Labs is a Charlotte, NC nonprofit running entrepreneurship and workforce-readiness programs — including the ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program and Restorative Pathways — for justice-impacted individuals, supplemented by ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative device-repair enterprise launched in 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
City Startup Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Workforce Development
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)
Keywords
Where City Startup Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
City Startup Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: CSL operates as a nonprofit primarily funded through grants from government agencies (North Carolina Department of Information Technology, Mecklenburg County, City of Charlotte), foundations (Rockefeller Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, Knight Foundation, Wells Fargo, Ally Bank, Principal Financial, US Bank Foundation), and corporate sponsors. Major grants include the $400,000 Digital Champions Grant (NCDIT) for ReConnex and the $3.6M Workforce Development Grant from Charlotte City Council.
- Social Enterprise Revenue: CSL generates earned income through its social enterprise ventures such as ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative digital device repair business. As co-owner alongside justice-impacted employees, CSL shares in the business revenue. This model is intended to provide long-term financial sustainability beyond grant dependency.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free programs for justice-impacted individuals — funded by grants and donations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
City Startup Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
City Startup Labs is a Charlotte, NC-based nonprofit entrepreneurial support organization that delivers tuition-free workforce development and entrepreneurship programs (ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program and Restorative Pathways) for justice-impacted individuals. It also operates ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative digital device repair business co-owned by program graduates alongside CSL, addressing the digital divide in underserved corridors of Charlotte.
Product overview
City Startup Labs operates as an entrepreneurial support organization offering two flagship programs: the ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program (REEP) and Restorative Pathways. REEP is a startup incubator using the Learn/Build/Deploy model to equip justice-impacted individuals with entrepreneurial training and digital-tech service skills, culminating in Business-in-a-Box packages with kick-starter capital. Restorative Pathways is a workplace readiness initiative in partnership with healthcare employers like Atrium Health. The organization also operates ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative providing digital device repair services—a social enterprise that demonstrates their model while generating earned income. The portfolio is unified in its mission to develop entrepreneurial talent and workforce readiness among justice-impacted populations, with programs designed to work sequentially or independently.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program (REEP) A 21st-century workforce development program providing tuition-free entrepreneurial education and digital-tech service skills training for justice-impacted individuals, designed to prepare participants to launch their own businesses or become value-added employees.
- Restorative Pathways A free, full-time, trauma-informed workforce training initiative for justice-impacted adults seeking healthcare careers, delivering industry certifications, employer connections, and career pathway support leading to direct placement at partner healthcare systems.
- ReConnex (Reentry Connections) A worker-owned cooperative digital device repair business co-owned by CSL and justice-impacted employees, providing hyper-local, affordable repair services for smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, game consoles, and smartwatches to underserved communities in Charlotte's Corridor of Opportunity.
- Fundable Workshop Series
Quantifiable outcome
- Recidivism rate of 3% among CSL participants vs. 44-49% for North Carolina overall
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use City Startup Labs
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
City Startup Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
City Startup Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, legacy and supporting.
- Atrium HealthcoreAtrium Health is the primary employer partner for the Restorative Pathways workplace readiness program. Justice-impacted graduates are placed in healthcare careers at Atrium Health upon completing the 5-week/100-hour training program. Restorative Pathways cohorts have graduated multiple classes with direct placement at Atrium Health facilities.
- Wake Forest Baptist HospitalcorePartner employer for the Restorative Pathways program, hosting a cohort in Winston-Salem, NC that graduated in September 2023. Represents geographic expansion of the workplace readiness program beyond Charlotte.
- Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC)coreCPCC serves as CSL's primary host location since February 2024, when CSL moved its headquarters from UNC Charlotte to CPCC Central Campus. CSL's new offices are at the Hall Building, 1112 Charlottetowne Avenue. The partnership positions CSL to engage new participants and serve as a resource for CPCC's Small Business Center.
- UNC CharlottelegacyUNC Charlotte served as CSL's host location from 2015 to February 2024, when CSL relocated to CPCC Central Campus. The partnership with UNC Charlotte was CSL's primary base for nearly a decade of operations.
- iFixAmericacoreiFixAmerica (iFA), based in Omaha, Nebraska, serves as CSL's technical partner for the ReConnex social enterprise. iFA provided the business blueprint, standard operating procedures, and specialized on-the-ground training to ReConnex staff covering technology repair for mobile and desktop devices. iFA founder Jason DeWater called ReConnex the first business of its kind in the digital tech repair industry.
- Digital CharlottesupportingDigital Charlotte is listed as a community partner of CSL, supporting digital equity and workforce development initiatives.
- ApparosupportingListed as a community partner of CSL, supporting tech and digital initiatives in the Charlotte region.
- SCORE CharlottesupportingListed as a partner supporting CSL's entrepreneurial programming. SCORE provides mentorship and business consulting services, aligning with CSL's coaching and mentorship needs for program participants.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
City Startup Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Year Up: Workforce-development nonprofit providing training and corporate placements for young adults from underserved communities. Comparable in tuition-free model, employer partnerships, and stipend-plus-training structure for justice-impacted-adjacent populations.
- The Last Mile: Nonprofit providing technology and workforce training inside prisons and post-release. Comparable in serving the same population and offering digital-skills certifications, though primarily tech-track rather than entrepreneurship.
- Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): Large-scale workforce reentry nonprofit serving formerly incarcerated individuals with placement and retention services. Comparable in mission, employer-partnership model, and outcomes measurement.
- Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free tech training and career pathways for underrepresented adults. Comparable in free, employer-driven training model and certifications focus, though serving broader low-income population rather than exclusively justice-impacted.
- Defy Ventures: National nonprofit running entrepreneurship programs for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Directly comparable to CSL's REEP mission, cohort-based model, and justice-impacted participant focus.
Broad incumbents
- Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont: Regional Goodwill affiliate (where CSL's founder has served on the board) operating broad workforce-development and reentry programs. Comparable in Charlotte-region workforce focus and reentry services, though as a much larger diversified nonprofit.
- REDF (Roberts Enterprise Development Fund): National funder and capacity builder for social enterprises employing people facing barriers to work — listed as CSL sponsor. Comparable as funder and thought leader for the employment-focused social-enterprise model CSL's ReConnex exemplifies.
Others
- SCORE Charlotte: Volunteer business mentorship organization and CSL partner. Comparable as a small-business coaching/entrepreneurship support ecosystem serving CSL participants and as a complement to REEP's curriculum.
- NC Idea Foundation: North Carolina-based foundation supporting early-stage entrepreneurs and listed CSL sponsor of the Fundable Workshop Series. Comparable as a regional entrepreneurship funder and ecosystem partner.
Emerging players
- iFixAmerica: Social enterprise digital device repair program and CSL's technical partner for ReConnex. Directly comparable as a justice-impacted-focused device repair model, though iFixAmerica operates in Omaha rather than Charlotte.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
City Startup Labs social profiles
Digital presenceCity Startup Labs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
City Startup Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
City Startup Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
City Startup Labs subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
City Startup Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
City Startup Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about City Startup Labs
What does City Startup Labs do?
City Startup Labs is a Charlotte, NC-based nonprofit entrepreneurial support organization that delivers tuition-free workforce development and entrepreneurship programs (ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program and Restorative Pathways) for justice-impacted individuals. It also operates ReConnex, a worker-owned cooperative digital device repair business co-owned by program graduates alongside CSL, addressing the digital divide in underserved corridors of Charlotte.
Is City Startup Labs a public or private company?
City Startup Labs is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was City Startup Labs founded?
City Startup Labs was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is City Startup Labs based?
City Startup Labs is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does City Startup Labs make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are social Enterprise Revenue.
Who are City Startup Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Year Up, The Last Mile, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), Per Scholas and Defy Ventures. Broad incumbents are Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont and REDF (Roberts Enterprise Development Fund). Others are SCORE Charlotte and NC Idea Foundation. iFixAmerica is listed as an emerging player.
Does City Startup Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for City Startup Labs.
What industry is City Startup Labs in?
City Startup Labs's product category is Nonprofit Workforce Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAM, Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs, with a secondary code of EDAMAHAA, Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics. Its NAICS code is 61171.