Next Street

What Next Street does

Next Street is a U.S.-based advisory and technology company founded in 2005 and headquartered in New York that helps corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, and foundations strengthen small business ecosystems, with a particular focus on businesses owned by women, people of color, and other socially or economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs. The firm operates a dual business model: (1) project-based consulting and advisory engagements covering ecosystem assessments, supply chain strategy, program design, and implementation, and (2) white-label deployment of its proprietary NXST Scale Platform, which powers digital resource hubs such as NYC Funds Finder, U.S. Bank Business Resources Central, the Get in the Game LA Supplier Resource Hub, and the MI Hub for Manufacturers. The platform integrates with third-party infrastructure including CRF Connect and serves as a centralized entry point for small businesses to access training, advising, capital products, and contract opportunities.

The company is employee-owned and has been B Corp certified since 2018 and SOC 2 Type II certified as of 2023. It maintains offices in New York (headquarters) and Chicago, plus two physical NYC Business Solutions Centers operated on behalf of the NYC Department of Small Business Services since 2012. Its leadership team includes CEO Charisse Conanan Johnson and an executive bench comprising a Chief Revenue Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Business and Growth Officer, and Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer. Next Street's reported impact metrics include $6.3 billion redirected to underserved businesses, $10 billion in procurement contract wins facilitated, 67,000+ small businesses served through Cook County alone, and a network of 1,000+ small business provider relationships across 34 U.S. cities.

The firm has expanded its mandate over time beyond traditional small business advisory into industrial supply chain ecosystem work via the 2024 launch of the Industrial Supply Chain Forum, and has positioned itself as a national infrastructure player in SSBCI capital deployment through its role as Main Street vertical lead for the Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE) at the Milken Institute. The go-to-market is sales-led B2B and B2G, with no public pricing and no disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or external institutional investors. Revenue derives from a mix of professional services fees and platform/technology licensing arrangements.

Name

Next Street

Legal name

Next Street Financial LLC

Website

https://nextstreet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Next Street is an employee-owned advisory and technology firm that helps corporations, financial institutions, governments, and foundations strengthen U.S. small business ecosystems, with a focus on underserved entrepreneurs, via consulting engagements and its white-label NXST Scale Platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Advisory & Economic Development Consulting

NAICS

Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

Services-Help Supply Services (7363), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific Low-Code Platforms (Vertical App Platforms) (HDAEAKAL)

Keywords

• Small business advisory
• Small business consulting
• Supplier development
• Capital access services
• Ecosystem strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: Next Street provides end-to-end consulting solutions to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and foundations seeking to strengthen small businesses. Revenue comes from project-based consulting engagements, strategy development, program design, and implementation services.
2. Platform and Technology Solutions: Next Street deploys its proprietary technology platforms as white-labeled solutions for clients, generating revenue through platform licensing and technology implementation engagements with government agencies and corporations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Next Street provides end-to-end advisory and technology solutions that help corporations, governments, financial institutions, and foundations strengthen small businesses in their supply chains and communities. Core offerings include consulting services (ecosystem assessments, supply chain strategies, program design, and implementation) and a proprietary NXST Scale technology platform deployed as white-labeled digital hubs for small business resource access, capital matching, financing advising, and supplier development.

Product overview

Next Street is a technology-enabled small business solutions company offering a unified platform architecture centered on its proprietary NXST Scale Platform, which serves as the foundational technology layer for multiple digital products and modules. The product portfolio includes two core platform modules—Small Business Resource Platform (for community clients) and Supplier Resource Platform (for supply chain clients)—alongside the Supplier Success Accelerator program. Next Street delivers these through white-labeled instances for enterprise clients (U.S. Bank Business Resources Central, NYC Funds Finder), dedicated regional hubs (Get in the Game LA Supplier Resource Hub, MI Hub for Manufacturers), and specialized platforms (California Small Business Loan Match, IIE Hub). The company also provides consulting services including Ecosystem Assessments and Supply Chain Ecosystem Assessments. All digital solutions are powered by Next Street's proprietary technology and integrate with third-party platforms such as CRF Connect. The Industrial Supply Chain Forum represents the company's knowledge/community product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE): A national initiative to expand access to capital for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI), housed within the Milken Institute.
• Industrial Supply Chain Forum
• Get in the Game LA
• MI Hub for Manufacturers
• NXST Scale Platform

Products and services

• NXST Scale Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• $6.3 billion in funds redirected to businesses facing barriers to capital and support
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2026IIE is a national initiative housed at the Milken Institute to expand access to capital for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI). Next Street serves as Main Street vertical lead, developing innovative lending solutions and leading go-to-market strategy for platforms like California Small Business Loan Match. IIE leverages public-private collaboration to deploy the $10 billion SSBCI allocation.
• U.S. BankmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2025Next Street partnered with U.S. Bank to create Business Resources Central, a free online education platform providing courses and tools to help small business owners run and grow their businesses. The platform leverages the NXST Scale platform.
• DoorDashmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Next Street partnered with DoorDash to design and deliver a six-week educational program for the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, supporting diverse small CPG businesses with training, grants, and access to DashMart. 60+ small business merchants received training in NYC, Chicago, DC, and California.
• Starbucks Community Resilience FundmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Next Street partnered with Starbucks to develop the Community Resilience Fund, a $100 million initiative focused on advancing racial equity and environmental resilience by supporting CDFIs in BIPOC neighborhoods. Next Street helped define deployment strategy and identify initial CDFI partners, with $21 million deployed to seven CDFIs in the first round.
• Cook County Bureau of Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Next Street designed and launched the Cook County Small Business Source in 2020 as a COVID response program, managing a network of 30+ Business Support Organizations and deploying $50 million in ARPA funding to 3,000 small businesses.
• Hyphen PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHyphen incubated IIE as an 18-month pilot before it was housed at the Milken Institute. Next Street collaborated with Hyphen to establish IIE's core objectives, approach, and structure.
• California IBankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext Street partnered with California IBank to launch California Small Business Loan Match, a streamlined resource connecting SEDI small businesses with vetted, responsible lenders enrolled in IBank's SSBCI Loan Guarantee program.
• LA Area Chamber of CommercemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in Get in the Game LA initiative to strengthen LA's procurement ecosystem for small suppliers competing for contracts tied to 2028 Olympics and other major sporting events.
• LISC LAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in Get in the Game LA initiative, providing economic development expertise and community connections for small business supplier development.
• Vermont Slauson Economic Development CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in Get in the Game LA initiative, contributing economic development capacity and community relationships to support small supplier growth.
• Michigan Department of Labor and Economic OpportunitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram sponsor for the MI Hub for Manufacturers, a centralized platform connecting Michigan manufacturers with advisory services, curriculum, events, and resources.
• Michigan Economic Development CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram sponsor for the MI Hub for Manufacturers platform supporting Michigan manufacturers in the industrial transition.
• NYC Economic Development CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext Street developed the application, participant assessments, and business curriculum for the Offshore Wind NYC Waterfront Pathways Program, helping M/W/DBE firms become prequalified and competitive for NYCEDC contracts in the emerging offshore wind industry.
• NYC Department of Small Business ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since 2012 to design and manage small business development programs, including operating two NYC Business Solutions Centers and programs like WE NYC and Love Your Local.
• Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF USA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNext Street partnered with CRF USA on Chicago ecosystem assessment to determine how the city can ensure equitable access to opportunity for all small business owners.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hello Alice: Hello Alice is a tech-enabled platform providing small business resources, training, capital pathways, and networking — directly overlapping with Next Street's Small Business Resource Platform and supplier development offerings.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is a national community development financial institution running programs for underserved small businesses and is already a Next Street coalition partner in LA; it offers similar ecosystem-building and supplier development services at greater scale.
• Pacific Community Ventures: Pacific Community Ventures provides advising and capital access to small businesses in underserved communities — closely aligned with Next Street's small business advisory and ecosystem assessment offerings.
• Working Solutions (TMC Community Capital): Working Solutions is a CDFI providing microloans, advising, and training to underserved small businesses, matching Next Street's blend of capital access facilitation and one-on-one business advisory.
• Grameen America: Grameen America provides microfinance, training, and peer support to women entrepreneurs in underserved communities — directly comparable in mission and target demographic to Next Street's SEDI-focused work.
• National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB): NALCAB is a national network serving Latino and other underserved small business owners with capital access, capacity building, and policy advocacy — operating similar SEDI-focused programs and partnering with many of the same federal funders as Next Street.

Broad incumbents

• Accion: Accion is a global nonprofit operating a CDFI with small business lending and advisory programs across the U.S. — overlapping with Next Street's financial-institution client base and capital access programs, and is itself a Next Street partner.
• Opportunity Finance Network: Opportunity Finance Network is the national association of CDFIs and an intermediary for federal SSBCI capital deployment — comparable in its role across the same small business financing ecosystem where Next Street operates.

Emerging players

• Milken Institute: Milken Institute houses the IIE initiative that Next Street leads the Main Street vertical for. As the institutional backer and ecosystem convener, Milken is a closely related player in the same policy and capital deployment space.

Others

• Hyphen Partnerships: Hyphen Partnerships incubated IIE as an 18-month pilot before it moved to the Milken Institute. It is a partner and ecosystem builder in the same inclusive entrepreneurship space rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nextstreet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next-street

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Next Street