DoorDash announced its newest Main Street Strong initiative: the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods. This is an educational program designed to uplift local consumer packaged goods businesses owned by entrepreneurs who are women, transgender, immigrants or people of color. Through the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, DoorDash is empowering 50 entrepreneurs. It provides important resources, education and funding to bring their local products to market for distribution via DashMart.
More about the accelerator
The DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods consists of a live and self-guided six-week course designed in partnership with Next Street. It will cover six specific topics, including supply chain management, wholesale vendor relationship management, managing cash flow and business development.
Beyond the educational component, participants will receive a $5,000 grant to support their business needs, access to marketing and sales support from DoorDash and the guarantee to sell their products via DashMart. This is a DoorDash-owned and operated grocery and convenience store. DashMart offers local businesses a new channel to reach customers, transforming how merchant partners can sell their products. With DashMarts nationwide, DoorDash already supports over 400 local and regional producers from coast to coast.
“Local businesses generate a substantial amount of economic return for the communities they thrive within, while also creating notable job opportunities for residents,” said Tasia Hawkins, Social Impact Program Lead at DoorDash. “By developing the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, we’re equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with the educational and financial capital they need. They can become wholesale-ready and create an even stronger relationship between local businesses and consumers residing in the community.”
At the end of the six-week curriculum, DoorDash will commit to purchasing products from participating entrepreneurs. DoorDash will sell at least one through a DashMart location. This is another way to help further bring these local businesses to market and connect them with more customers.
Thoughts on the program
DoorDash Chief Restaurant Advisor Chef Stephanie Izard, alongside Next Street, is intimately involved in the curation of the curriculum as the owner of This Little Goat, a packaged goods brand.
“Before assuming the role of Chief Restaurant Advisor, I partnered with DoorDash to offer my line of This Little Goat sauces and spices in many DashMart locations across the country,” said Izard. “This is a full-circle moment. I was able to help shape the curriculum for this inaugural cohort, especially as I’ve experienced the challenges of launching a packaged product firsthand.”
Ariel Barbouth, Founder and CEO of Nuchas, said, “By partnering with DoorDash to sell our empanadas through DashMart, we’re able to reach new customers. We can diversify our revenue streams in an effective way. We’re happy that DoorDash is creating the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods. It will help entrepreneurs and assist them in reaching their goals.”
Merchants are eligible to apply for the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods if they:
- Are a registered and actively operating packaged food local business in New York City, Chicago or the greater Washington DC area
- Have twenty or fewer employees
- Generated less than $1M in revenue in the fiscal year 2021
- Have been in business for at least two years
An active partnership with DoorDash is not required or considered to participate in this program.
Eligible businesses can apply for the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods through Friday, April 1. Learn more about the program by clicking here.
If you’re looking for more small business accelerators and other resources? Apply to these seven programs.
About DoorDash
DoorDash is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses. It operates across the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany. Founded in 2013, DoorDash enables local businesses to address consumers’ expectations of ease and immediacy and thrive in today’s convenience economy. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time.
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