For five years, the Diverse Business Accelerator has helped more than 55 small business owners level up, creating more than 120 new jobs in the St. Louis region. This year, Greater St. Louis, Inc. will build on that impact, introducing the Supplier Readiness initiative, which includes not only the Supplier Readiness Accelerator — a new iteration of the DBA — but readiness coaching and support.
The new Supplier Readiness Accelerator builds on the work of the DBA, offering a 12-week, cohort-based program designed to prepare locally owned small businesses for growth and integration into corporate supply chains. Expanding its impact even further, the accelerator this week announced a new strategic capital partnership with the St. Louis Small Business Empowerment Center, which will help scale programming, deepen support, and drive measurable outcomes for small, scalable businesses.
“This is a shared commitment to strengthening small, emerging, and growth‑stage suppliers so they can meet the scale, quality, and operational expectations of major enterprises,” said Senior Director Lakesha Mathis, who leads the Community Engagement team at GSL. “Together, we’re expanding access to the tools, coaching, and capital suppliers need to become supplier ready and unlock new opportunities.
The Bottom Line
To grow St. Louis, we must grow its economic capacity, and that means supporting the individuals with the drive, ambition, and ideas to build and scale new businesses.
“These new offerings expand and amplify the opportunities we provide to St. Louis’ small business owners,” said Lakesha Mathis, Senior Director, GSL. “Our goal is to create a world-class ecosystem for small businesses — we can only do that if we prepare these local leaders for growth and success.”
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