At Accompany Capital we create paths to success and self-sufficiency for immigrants & refugees – as well as other fellow New Yorkers. We don’t just support our clients with affordable loans, we continue to support them with:
Saving for a First HomeIf you are a low to moderate-income New Yorker, we can help you qualify for one of these government-sponsored savings programs:
Accompany Capital’s home ownership seminars will help you understand the home purchasing process and what is involved in home ownership. The seminars are offered four times a year and fulfill the education requirement for both the HomeFirst Down Payment Assistance Program and the First Home Club Matched Savings Program, including:
Francess Smith, Manager of IDA Program
fsmith@accompanycapital.org
Through our partnership with organizations like New York Women in Business, we sponsor and participate in events that highlight women entrepreneurs’ stories and bring together women who are starting, building, or expanding business to learn from each other’s journeys.
Women who are not our clients are also welcome to take advantage of the many workshops we offer on every phase of entrepreneurship, from starting a business, to marketing it successfully and take it to the next level.
We have also created a speaker bureau – AC Voices – highlighting Accompany Capital clients who have successfully navigated the very diverse challenges they have faced and can tell the story compellingly at meetings, conferences, and panels to uplift other women – and men – on their journeys. Contact us to learn more about this program.
**This program will be online until further notice, accessible from any device 24 hours a day, 7 days a week**
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s HomeFirst
Down Payment Assistance Program provides qualified homebuyers with up to $40,000 toward the down
payment or closing costs on a 1-4 family home, a condominium, or a cooperative in one of the five boroughs
of New York City.
The following topics are covered:
Discount code: BCNA50
Eligibility Requirements: Click here
For more information, please contact Francess Smith at (212) 898-7850 or fsmith@accompanycapital.org
This workshop is put on through the Housing Partnership Development Corporation
Friday, January 14th
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET
Tuesday, February 15
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET
Your appointment will be for 30 minutes. We will contact you to schedule the appointment after registration.
Are you a NYC small business owner? If your business needs help with a commercial lease issue, you may be eligible for free legal services. The Commercial Lease Assistance Program provides free legal representation in connection with commercial leases to underserved, small business owners who otherwise cannot afford counsel.
At this event, you will meet with the attorneys for free 1:1 consultation to discuss any issues related with your commercial lease. If you are in the process of signing a new lease, attorneys can review your lease and advise you.
REGISTER HERE – Friday, January 14th; 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET
REGISTER HERE– Tuesday, February 15th; 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.orgor 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with Queens Chamber of Commerce, Office of New York City Council District 25. and sponsored by Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A and SBS
Tuesday, February 1st
2:00 pm – 5:00 PM ET
This is a 2-part series of QuickBooks Level 1 class for small business owners who are new to QuickBooks. The webinar aims to help you learn the basics and understand how you can use QuickBooks to manage your business finances. The sessions will cover the following:
• Set up your company accounts
• Set up vendor and customer accounts
• Manage accounts receivable/ Accounts payable
• Pay bills
• Make credit and debit card entries
Presenter: Paul Rosenblum, Numerex Services, Small Business Consultant, Professional Bookkeeper, a QuickBooks Certified Proadvisor
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.org or 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with Queens Chambers of Commerce and sponsored by Capital One.
Wednesday, February 2nd
2:00 PM- 5:00 PM ET
This is a 2-part series of QuickBooks Level 1 class for small business owners who are new to QuickBooks. The webinar aims to help you learn the basics and understand how you can use QuickBooks to manage your business finances. The sessions will cover the following:
• Set up your company accounts
• Set up vendor and customer accounts
• Manage accounts receivable/ Accounts payable
• Pay bills
• Make credit and debit card entries
Presenter: Paul Rosenblum, Numerex Services, Small Business Consultant, Professional Bookkeeper, a QuickBooks Certified Proadvisor
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.org or 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with Queens Chambers of Commerce and sponsored by Capital One.
Wednesday, February 9th
2:00 PM- 5:00 PM ET
QuickBooks Level 2 Class is aimed at small business owners who are already familiar or using QuickBooks Online. This webinar will cover:
• Job casting and how to track reimbursements of expenses incurred by the company
• Running reports and customizing reports
• Memorizing transactions & Reports
• Online banking
• Budgets for P&L
Presenter: Paul Rosenblum, Numerex Services, Small Business Consultant, Professional Bookkeeper, a QuickBooks Certified Proadvisor
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.org or 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with Queens Chambers of Commerce and sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Thursdays – February 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & March 10th
5:30 PM- 8:00 PM ET
Want to sharpen your startup skills, work with other entrepreneurs, and get a chance to win $150?
This first ever NYWIB accelerator, presented in collaboration with NAWBO and FWA, combines focused, intensive learning with mentorship to ensure participants gain a solid foundation in the skills needed to successfully launch a startup.
This accelerator program – which is limited to small, hands-on groups – includes 4 weekly webinars (two-and-a-half hours each), team exercises, mentors, and weekly challenges, and culminates in a launch plan competition on March 10. You must commit to all sessions to participate.
Members of two winning teams will each take home $150.
The Accompany Capital + SCORE Startup Accelerator Program for NY Women Entrepreneurs is FREE thanks to the Empire State Development Corporation’s generous support of Accompany Capital’s NYC Women Start Businesses Program.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Monday, January 17, 2022 (Seats are limited to optimize learning.
You must apply and be selected to participate.)
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.org or 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with New York Women in Business (NYWIB) and sponsored by NYWIB, Score NYC, SBA, and Accompany Capital.
Thursday, February 10th
2:00 PM- 3:00 PM
Are you a NYC small business owner? If your business needs help with a commercial lease issue, you may be eligible for free legal services.
The Commercial Lease Assistance Program (CLA) program provides free legal representation in connection with commercial leases to underserved, small business owners who otherwise cannot afford counsel.
At this virtual event, you will receive information from representative from Brooklyn Legal A (BKA) team about the Commercial Lease Assistance (CLA) Program, a walk-through of how to access the services and receive free 1:1 consultation from the attorneys.
Presenter: Aashna Singh, Commercial Lease Assistance Program, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A.
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.org or 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with Queens Chamber of Commerce, Office of New York City Council District 25.and sponsored by Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A and SBS
Wednesday, February 16th
2:00 PM- 3:00 PM
The past two years have brought rapid changes to small business lending. Financing options are expanding again, and there are more choices than ever to fund your small business. For the business owner, it can be overwhelming. Who is lending? How do you find financing for your new or established business? Learn about myriad financing options, identify the crucial factors lenders use to evaluate applicants, and understand steps you can take to position your business for financing.
You will also learn about SBA loan programs offered by Accompany Capital, a CDFI that assists small businesses in NYC with small business lending, education and technical assistance.
Presenter: Gerri Detweiler, Education Consultant, NAV & Tshering Gurung, Accompany Capital
Gerri Detweiler has helped myriad business owners understand how to find financing for their business. She’s the coauthor of Finance Your Own Business: Get on the Financing Fast Track and she has answered over 10,000 credit and lending questions online.
For more information, please contact Tshering Gurung at tgurung@accompanycapital.org or 347-730-6468
This workshop is provided in partnership with Queens Chambers of Commerce and sponsored by Office of New York City Council District 25.
Accompany Capital’s Francess Smith with IDA clients
If you’re a refugee interested in saving money for:
An IDA (Individual Development Account) program may be right for you. The IDA program is a specialized savings program for refugees & individuals with approved asylum-status who complete a financial literacy course and save money in a targeted account. After the financial literacy course is completed, the program matches each dollar you have saved with a dollar in grant money, up to $2,000 per individual or $4,000 per family.
You still have control over the money you have saved, while the “matching grant” is kept in a separate account that can only be used for down payments, investment in your small business, or your education.
1 member: $24,280
2 members: $32,920
3 members: $41,560
4 members: $50,200
5 members: $58,840
6 members: $67,480
7 members: $76,120
8 members: $84,760
Accompany Capital’s seminars help ensure that you are prepared for the financial responsibilities of entrepreneurship, home ownership, continuing education or vocational training. All classes are free and held at our offices. Topics include:
Francess Smith, Manager of IDA Program
fsmith@accompanycapital.org
212-898-7850
Click here for a fact sheet on Accompany Capital’s IDA Program
Please contact Nicole Mas at nmas@accompanycapital.org or 212-898-4112 for more information.
The owner of Le’Bulga Inc., a luxury handbag company, Natalia tells an impressive story of building a successful business from the ground up in the highly competitive fashion industry. After immigrating to the United States in 1995 from Uzbekistan, she graduated from FIT with a degree in Fashion Design. Upon graduation, she worked for various high-end fashion brands, which led to her passion for handbag design.
Le’Bulga handbags have been worn by celebrities and fashion insiders, and have been featured in fashion magazines alongside luxury brands including Burberry and Chanel.
The daughter of Argentinean and Colombian immigrants, Nancy is an impassioned advocate for New York City green taxi drivers and women entrepreneurs. As the first New York City taxi driver to receive a green taxi permit, she is highly regarded as a groundbreaker and leader in her industry. She has driven over 15,000 miles taking New Yorkers, including former Mayor Bloomberg, to their destinations.
Her goal is to continue to represent her industry through community organizing and speaking engagements with City agencies including the Taxi and Limousine Commission. Fluent in English and Spanish, Nancy is also pursuing a second career in translation services.
The daughter of Filipino immigrants and the owner of SPAdét, Annabelle tells an inspiring story about leveraging entrepreneurship to solve real-world problems. Using her background in biochemistry, she began experimenting with natural personal care products in 2008 to heal her daughter’s eczema. Once she perfected a formula that worked for her daughter, she founded SPAdét, which is best known for its O’Live Castile Soap – a pure, safe, and environmentally friendly liquid cleanser for sensitive skin.
SPAdét has secured large contracts with educational institutions, medical facilities, child learning centers, and specialty pharmacies.
The owner of Alima Hair Braiding in Brooklyn, Alimata tells her moving story about making the best of challenging circumstances – and uplifting other women along the way. A refugee from Burkina Faso who arrived in New York with her husband and children in 2012, she opened two hair braiding salons after putting herself through school.
Alimata’s salons employ eight women from her community. She is also the founder and president of the Association of African Women, a nonprofit networking group for African women entrepreneurs.
Archana came to the US from Nepal in 2003 and studied chemistry and sociology at Hunter College, graduating in 2010. She worked in sales, marketing, and training at Time Warner and Verizon before becoming the business manager at a Manhattan day spa. She was able to save enough money to open her own business on the Upper East Side in 2018: Lenox Spa and Nails, a spacious day spa specializing in manicures, pedicures, and facial treatments. A loan from Accompany Capital helped finance completion of construction and the purchase of spa equipment. Lenox Spa and Nails has created 11 full-time jobs.
As a member of the Accompany Capital Voices Speakers Bureau – women entrepreneurs who are ambassadors for Accompany Capital and experts in their business sectors – she is available to speak to groups about entrepreneurship.
Marieme Keita, who came to New York from the Ivory Coast in 1992, speaks eloquently about work life balance, including making time for the joy her four children bring while still managing employees and a thriving business.
She began work as a hair braider in 1992, later opening her own own storefront braiding salon. Learning by doing, she gained the experience and confidence she needed to open her next business in 2015 – Keita West African Market – and has saved enough to purchase a home for her family as well. Located on a street with extremely high foot traffic in Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, the Keita West African Market now carries over $200,000 in merchandise and has recently expanded to include Lycamobile and money transfer services as well.
Her goal is to continue to expand and provide the most value she can for her customers, employees, and community while enjoying life and her beloved family as well.
Special thanks to the New York Women's Foundation for supporting this project. Contact us at voices@accompanycapital.org for booking information.
