Growth + Equity Fund Support Helps Entrepreneurs Bring Their Small Businesses to Life

When Sarah Ausby returned to Syracuse in 2013, she’d recently lost her job and was struggling with housing security. She decided in this moment of hardship to go back to school and pursue entrepreneurship. She started selling dinners out of her house and entered CenterState CEO’s Start It! for Food Business training course, part of CenterState CEO’s UP Start small business development program. Upon graduation, she created her small business, Ma’s Wings and Things, continuing to work with the Up Start team to further develop her new venture. As a result, Ausby successfully applied for a mini-grant from CenterState CEO’s Growth + Equity Fund to grow her business.

The Growth + Equity Fund was designed to help entrepreneurs like Ausby. It’s a resource for those who have strong ideas and dreams of starting their own business but don’t have access to traditional sources of capital due to historical and societal barriers. Through the CenterState CEO Foundation, the Fund has distributed $349,900 to date, helping people from historically underserved communities access the financing they need for success.

The Growth + Equity Fund is not possible without the support of donors like John Peter, owner of Peter’s Discount Liquor. As a founding contributor to the Fund, Peter has gifted thousands of dollars through the CenterState CEO Foundation to help other small-business owners, including Sarah, realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

“Being a founding contributor of the Growth + Equity Fund has been the realization of a dream of mine. To succeed in my own business and then have the opportunity to give back to fellow entrepreneurs is an amazing feeling. There is nothing like it; I’m very grateful,” said Peter. “Getting to meet Sarah and hear her story was inspiring. She’s very driven and intelligent. I’m glad I could help in some small way to move her business aspirations forward.” 

With his first donation in 2021, Peter pledged to support the Growth + Equity Fund for the next decade. Those dollars will enable more members of the community to build vibrant small businesses in Syracuse and create generational wealth for their families.

CenterState CEO and CenterState CEO Foundation extends their appreciation to all the Growth + Equity Fund founding contributors and supporters. To support the Growth + Equity Fund or learn more about the programs supported through the CenterState CEO Foundation, visit the Foundation’s webpage.