McCourt alumna’s social enterprise receives investment from DC government

Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and 1863 Ventures announced 16 local businesses as first-round recipients of the .25 million Inclusive Innovation Equity Impact Fund (IIEIF). The IIEIF was established to increase access to capital for small, resident-owned businesses whose majority owners have been historically marginalized. The Fund is managed by 1863 Ventures, a DC-based business development nonprofit founded by Melissa Bradley, Georgetown University associate professor, entrepreneur and venture capital investor.

“1863 Ventures is honored to partner with the city to support New Majority entrepreneurs,” said Bradley in a statement released by DC Government. “We are excited to be stewards of these funds to support historically underserved and overlooked businesses in the city.”

Helping local food entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses

Among the 2022 recipients is homemade in DC (HiDC), an online marketplace founded by McCourt School alumna Mackenzie Loy (MPP/MBA’22). HiDC sources a variety of unique, high-quality food products made primarily by women and People of Color (POC) in the District of Columbia. Since its launch in January 2021, HiDC has worked with 12 local entrepreneurs and generated nearly ,000 in revenue. 

By connecting DC-based food businesses with local food entrepreneurs, Loy hopes to develop local supply chains that build and retain wealth within the DMV, and ultimately, to help close the racial and gender wealth gap among women and POC. 

“Funding from DC Government and 1863 Ventures has allowed me to focus on HiDC full-time, dedicating my efforts to spreading the word about HiDC and all of the amazing entrepreneurs with whom we’re working,” said Loy. 

“Over the next 6 months, I plan to broaden outreach to other universities, co-working spaces and corporate offices,” she said. “Once we’ve built a strong pipeline of orders, I’ll use the rest of the IIEIF funding to build out a more robust platform to continue to connect local food entrepreneurs to local businesses.”

Learn more about HiDC’s mission to build local wealth through food entrepreneurship.