Jeremiah Robinson. He is the Entrepreneur in Residence at Mountain BizWorks and a native of Asheville. Much of Jeremiah’s role involves managing the Multicultural Catalyst Fund and the Catalyst Cohort. This program was started in 2020 to provide access to opportunities and capital to entrepreneurs and business owners of color. To say that Jeremiah has been successful in this work is an understatement. Since starting in 2020, the Catalyst Fund has deployed $1.5 million to assist 40 businesses of color. The program, which started as a pilot, is now permanent. They are now in their second round of grant funding where they have provided $60K in grant funds and $40k for technical assistance. They have also provided over 200 hours in business coaching and have supported 30 entrepreneurs of color through 3 cohorts.