We were honored to bring together more than 250 Comcast RISE recipients, partners, local officials, Comcast leaders and more from across Philadelphia for Comcast RISE Day: An evening of education, collaboration, networking and recognition.
Comcast RISE, which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength, Empowerment, was created in November 2020 to help small businesses hardest hit by COVID-19 by providing the grants and services needed to survive and recover. The program since evolved from helping businesses survive the pandemic, to helping businesses and their communities achieve stronger economic growth.
To-date, 13,500 small businesses across the country were awarded with over $125 million in monetary, marketing, and technology grants. In Philadelphia alone, Comcast RISE has awarded 816 businesses with more than $10 million in total grants and services since the program launched in 2020.
Bringing together current and past award recipients from Philadelphia, Comcast RISE Day was a way to provide ongoing investment and help ensure the long-term success of these small businesses, which are the bedrock of economic growth in their communities.
Held on the floor of the Wells Fargo Center, the event featured networking, a partner marketplace offering connections to local resources through the African American Chamber of Commerce, Asian American Chamber of Commerce, The Enterprise Center, Entrepreneur Works, Everything Clicks, the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Independence Business Alliance and PIDC Community Capital, as well as a complimentary professional headshot station provided by Creative Thought Media, a former Comcast RISE recipient.
Frances Wang, NBC10 anchor and reporter, emceed the evening, and we were honored to hear from Kenyatta Johnson, Councilmember for the Second District; Anne Nadol, Director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia; Della Clark, President of the Enterprise Center; as well as Elizabeth R. Flores, Vice President of News for NBC10-Telemundo62, who moderated a panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence and Social Media with Earl Boyd, Director of Entrepreneur Services at Entrepreneur Works, and Steve Shea, Founder and CEO of Everything Clicks.
And, to leave recipients feeling inspired and empowered to keep going, the night concluded with a keynote address from Brian Dawkins, Former Philadelphia Eagles Safety, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Motivational Speaker.
Just before Brian’s speech, Dan Bonelli, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Freedom Region, announced one lucky Comcast RISE recipient would be going home with an additional $5,000 grant for their business – Nicole McLane, of Pacific Yoga Philly.
Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.
More information is available at https://www.comcastrise.com/.
Cheers to all our Comcast RISE recipients!
Check out this video highlighting the event:
You can watch the full panel presentation, here:
