Entrepreneur Works

What Entrepreneur Works does

Entrepreneur Works is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in 1989 (originally as Philadelphia Development Partnership) and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, with a second office in Chester serving Delaware County. It provides mission-driven financing and technical assistance to underserved entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia region, including low- and moderate-income business owners, women, immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, returning citizens, and veterans. The organization is certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a CDFI and operates programs including the Philadelphia Business Lending Network pilot and the Delaware County Business Assistance Service Center under Governor Josh Shapiro's statewide initiative.

The core product portfolio consists of four loan products — the Small Business Loan ($500-$50,000 at 8%-12% interest), the Women's First Loan (up to $25,000 with a 2% discount, co-created with Bank of America and the Tory Burch Foundation), the Power Plus+ Loan (25% loan forgiveness for minority entrepreneurs), and The Incentive Grant (up to $35,000 in matching funds) — alongside the Start It Grow It online curriculum, the annual Growth & Sustainability Pitch Competition powered by Citizens Bank, one-on-one business coaching, and a resource library. The technology stack is a standard WordPress-based web platform with digital pre-qualification and application forms; no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or API products are disclosed.

The business model combines interest income on small-ticket loans with pass-through grant funding from government, corporate, and foundation sources (including Citizens Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Comcast, PA CDFI Network, and CDFI Fund). Customer acquisition is community-led and event-driven, relying on workshops, partnerships (BASC, Welcoming Center, Urban Affairs Coalition), referrals, and direct outreach in target counties. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the organization's lean staff of 1-10 employees and a 2025 disbursement volume of $320,000 indicate a small operating footprint relative to the scale of its mission.

Name

Entrepreneur Works

Legal name

Entrepreneur Works

Website

https://myentrepreneurworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Entrepreneur Works is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), founded in 1989, that provides small business loans ($500-$50,000), grants, and business coaching to underserved entrepreneurs across Greater Philadelphia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Finance / Small Business Lending

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• Community development finance
• Microenterprise loans
• Small business grants
• Entrepreneur coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Entrepreneur Works generates revenue through interest on small business loans ranging from $500 to $50,000. Interest rates are 8%-12% with repayment terms of 24-72 months for established businesses and 24-60 months for startups.
2. Grants and Donations: As a nonprofit organization, Entrepreneur Works receives grant funding from government programs, financial institutions, and foundations to support operations and lending programs, including COVID-19 relief grants and incentive grants.
3. Program Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors like Citizens Bank provide funding for programs such as the Growth & Sustainability Pitch Competition, where entrepreneurs compete for grant prizes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Entrepreneur Works is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides mission-driven small business loans ($500-$50,000), specialized loan products for women and minority entrepreneurs, matching grant programs, and business technical assistance (coaching, workshops, online courses) to underserved micro and small business owners in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Product overview

Entrepreneur Works is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) offering a comprehensive suite of financial products and business support services for underserved entrepreneurs in the Greater Philadelphia region. The core product portfolio includes mission-driven loan products (Small Business Loan up to $50,000, Women's First Loan up to $25,000 with special interest rates, Power Plus+ Loan with 25% forgiveness), grant programs (The Incentive Grant up to $35,000 in matching funds), and educational programs (Start It Grow It online course, 1-on-1 business coaching, workshops). They also run the annual Growth & Sustainability Pitch Competition offering $10,000 grants. The organization complements financing with personalized technical assistance, workshops, and a resource library to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Small Business Loan: Loan program providing up to $50,000 for business expansion, construction or renovation, inventory, working capital, start-up costs, or machinery and equipment upgrades.
• Women's First Loan
• The Incentive Grant
• Start It Grow It
• Growth & Sustainability Pitch

Products and services

• Small Business Loan Mission-driven financing for micro and small businesses in the Greater Philadelphia region, offering loans from $500 to $50,000 at 8%-12% interest with terms of 24-72 months for established businesses (12+ months operating) and 24-60 months for startups. Includes an interest-only option for up to 6 months and a $100 application fee.
• Women's First Loan Loan product offering up to $25,000 with a 2% interest rate discount for women-owned businesses that have been operating for at least two years, developed in partnership with Bank of America and The Tory Burch Foundation.
• Power Plus+ Loan

Quantifiable outcome

• Small businesses received $320,000 in funding in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Philadelphia Business Lending Network (PBLN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEW participates as a PBLN lender in collaboration with the Department of Commerce to facilitate The Incentive Grant program providing up to $35,000 in matching funds for eligible small businesses.
• Delaware County (Business Assistance Service Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEW serves as Delaware County's Business Assistance Service Center (BASC) as part of Governor Josh Shapiro's statewide initiative to support historically disadvantaged businesses. EW helps entrepreneurs connect with resources, technical assistance, and support they need.
• VestedInsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJim Burnett, Founder and CEO of VestedIn, spoke at the BASC launch event about ensuring entrepreneurs have access to trusted advisors, technical assistance, and financial resources.
• Pennsylvania CDFI NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarsovia Fernandez from the PA CDFI Network highlighted the critical role Community Development Financial Institutions play in expanding access to responsible capital and business support services.
• 5 Step Business Start (Earl Boyd)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Start It. Grow It. program is powered by the 5 Step Business Start curriculum created by Earl Boyd, Director of Entrepreneur Services at EW, condensing decades of hands-on coaching into a structured program.
• TSP & LB Media (Tatiana Bacchus)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTatiana Bacchus, a former EW team member turned entrepreneur, developed the creative vision for the Entrepreneur Works Presents series and produced event recap videos.
• Philm Factory (Eli and Lu Bevins)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilm Factory co-founded by filmmakers Eli and Lu Bevins, partnered on the Business of Art event and participated in the entrepreneur feedback session.
• ReelBlacksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia-based media company that restored the historic film Riverbend and collaborated on the Entrepreneur Works Presents: Business of Art event.
• Additional PartnerssupportingOthersPartners include: SBDC Widner, TD Charitable Foundation, TMF, Urban Affairs Coalition, VestedIn, Welcoming Center, Wells Fargo, WSFS Bank, Achetype, BMT, CCP, CDFI Fund, CEDA, Clarifi, Comcast NBCUniversal, Customers Bank, Dept of Commerce, Empower & Opp, Goldman Sachs, Hoxie Harrison Smith, MT, Philly VIP, PIDC, Power-Up, Regional Foundation, Republic, Santander, SBDC Temple.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC): Philadelphia-based public-private economic development corporation providing loans, grants, and real estate financing to local businesses, including minority-owned firms. Geographic peer operating in the same region with overlapping borrower demographics, though with a broader economic-development remit.

Direct peers

• Kiva: Nonprofit crowdfunding platform offering crowdfunded microloans (0% interest) to underserved entrepreneurs globally. Comparable in mission, borrower demographic, and small-ticket loan size, though operating model is crowdfunded rather than balance-sheet lending.
• CDC Small Business Finance: Nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and SBA 504/7a financing to underserved borrowers, including minority- and women-owned businesses. Comparable in CDFI status, SBA-related lending, and technical assistance wraparound.
• LiftFund: Nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and coaching to underserved entrepreneurs across multiple U.S. states. Direct peer in target market, product mix, and technical assistance model.
• Grameen America: Nation's largest nonprofit CDFI providing microloans and support to underserved entrepreneurs (especially women) in low-income communities. Closest functional analog in mission, target borrower, and product structure.
• Opportunity Fund (now Accion Opportunity Fund): Pre-merger Opportunity Fund was a major CDFI providing small-dollar loans and coaching to underserved entrepreneurs; merged into Accion Opportunity Fund. Closely comparable historical peer in product, demographic focus, and mission.
• Pacific Community Ventures: Nonprofit CDFI and small business advisory provider serving underbanked entrepreneurs on the West Coast, with a strong coaching-plus-capital model. Comparable in mission and integrated service offering.
• Accion Opportunity Fund: National nonprofit CDFI offering small business loans to underserved entrepreneurs, including immigrant and minority owners, with embedded coaching. Strong overlap in mission, demographic focus, and bilingual/multilingual support.
• Justine PETERSEN: St. Louis-based nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans, housing counseling, and technical assistance to underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable scale, mission, and integrated loan-plus-coaching model.

Others

• The Tory Burch Foundation: Not a direct competitor but an existing partner in the Women's First Loan program. Comparable only in shared mission to advance women entrepreneurs; included as a relevant ecosystem participant and referral source.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/entreprenworks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EntrepreneurWorks
• Facebookfacebook.com/EntrepreneurWorks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entrepreneur-works?trk=company_name
• Instagraminstagram.com/entreworks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Entrepreneur Works