Bendu Dukuly
Bendu House of Fashion
Bendu Dukuly came to the United States from Liberia in 2013 seeking asylum, and started her business – Bendu House of Fashion – out of her Staten Island home.
In 2015 she was introduced to Accompany Capital by the President of the Staten Island Liberian Community Association and received her first Accompany Capital microloan. Over the next few years she received four additional loans from Accompany Capital that allowed her to grow her business. As a result, in 2018 she was able to rent her first shop location. Two years later she was able to secure a new – larger – space located in a more highly trafficked area that was better suited to her business’ needs.
In 2020, to help her business survive the pandemic, Accompany Capital provided her with both an Emergency Loan for Small businesses and an Emergency Grant for Refugee Entrepreneurs. In addition to financing, Accompany Capital has also provided her with one-on-one technical assistance and she has attended Accompany Capital workshops and webinars to support small business growth, on topics such as business plan preparation, credit building, and small business taxes.