Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) recently announced that enrollment for the 2024 cohort of the EY Entrepreneur Access Network (EAN) program is open to African American and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs looking to steer their businesses toward growth at scale.

For executives with little spare time, the hands-on one-year business acceleration program offers members comprehensive access to mentoring, a business curriculum, growth resources, and connections to access capital.

Nit Reeder, EY EAN Program Director, said in a press release: 

We must continue to help companies and allies realize that working with emerging Black and Hispanic/Latino businesses is good strategic business versus charity.

About the Program

Designed with the goal of closing the disparity gap that exists for African American and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, a group of entrepreneurs essential to the country's economic growth and success, the program was founded in 2019 as an expansion of EY's current entrepreneurial programs, including the Entrepreneur of the Year program (running for 40 years), and the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program (running for over 15 years).

The EAN program offers its members the following benefits:

• Participation and training led directly by EY executives
• A curriculum focused on key business areas, such as marketing, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and cybersecurity
• Connections with potential investors, alliances, suppliers and customers

“Our EAN program serves as a platform for highlighting the contributions these enterprises make to our civic and business landscapes. The growth and success we've seen in those who have completed the program demonstrates how far we can all go in breaking down the barriers that exist for these entrepreneurial communities,” added Reeder.

Join us in congratulating our 93 exceptional June'23 EY graduates from around the world who have been recognized for their achievements in two distinct degree programs by @Hult_Business cohort

Learn more about EY degrees: https://t.co/z8DE3IifWy#BetterWorkingWorld #Education pic.twitter.com/0q7OwlgXil

— EY (@EYnews) June 29, 2023

Open Enrollment

Highlighting that this program is free and there is no cost to enroll, the platform includes evaluations, individualized counseling, a personalized study plan according to the needs of each entrepreneur, access to online tools and networking events, as well as promotional exposure. 

Entries are open until Aug. 31, 2023, and applicants will be notified of their acceptance on a rolling basis, starting in December.

Applicants must meet the following requirements to apply online:

• African-American or Hispanic business owners
• Be founding CEOs and majority owners of any US-based private for-profit company
• The business must be more than two years old and 51% African-American or Hispanic-owned

“The EAN program is a powerful resource for my technology company. We have ambitious plans to reach 19,000 US local governments with our pioneering government marketplace, GLASS Commerce. Being part of EAN and being able to take advantage of the training and network is very helpful in expanding our reach and mission,” said Paola Santana, GLASS’ founder and CEO, a company that provides e-commerce solutions for governments in the fulfillment of their contracting needs.

Since 2020, EAN-affiliated entrepreneurs have raised more than $25.7 million in funding. Last year's cohort benefited from 3,325 hours of mentoring and 400 one-on-one business-building meetings through various networking events and community sessions.