Mastercard Partners with Birmingham Department of Innovation & Economic Opportunity to Launch Ascend Birmingham Helping Local Businesses Get Digital
August 02 2021 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
Support from Square, Accion Opportunity Fund
and Sunrise by Lendio helps Birmingham small businesses advance
digitally and drive online commerce
With spend already declining in Birmingham pre-COVID, the
decrease rapidly accelerated in Birmingham’s downtown and
surrounding tracts because of the pandemic significantly impacting
the city’s small businesses. Minority owned businesses in the
region saw an outsized impact from the downturn and are a priority
focus amidst recovery. Mastercard and the Birmingham Department of
Innovation and Economic Opportunity are working to address this
with the introduction of Ascend Birmingham. The program is focused
on helping local small businesses pivot to digital operations and
thrive in an age of a more digitally engaged consumer.
"The City of Birmingham is thrilled to partner with Mastercard
on this key initiative, which will go a long way in reaching our
goal of making Birmingham a hub for minority-owned small
businesses," Mayor Woodfin said. "Allowing these businesses to
flourish in digital spaces not only increases their reach but their
creative potential as well. It's an incredible opportunity for our
business community."
With support from Square, Accion Opportunity Fund and Sunrise by
Lendio, Ascend Birmingham will provide education, tools and
resources focused on building out an effective digital presence,
accepting digital payments, growing and managing your business,
gaining access to capital, and keeping your business and your
customers protected. Participants in the program will also be
provided a custom curated business kit that includes solutions such
as a Square Reader for Contactless & Chip along with website
development software, bookkeeping software and a professional
bookkeeper from Sunrise by Lendio, advisory expertise from Accion
Opportunity Fund, Mastercard cybersecurity and data insight
solutions and other City-provided resources. Mastercard and the
City of Birmingham have also partnered to deliver a city focused
Digital Doors platform with always-on content and resources for
local owners.
“We applaud the efforts of Mayor Woodfin and the Department of
Innovation & Economic Opportunity to ensure the endurance of
Birmingham-based small businesses and are proud to partner with the
city so that owners have access to the tools and resources
necessary to thrive in today’s digital age,” said Michael Froman,
vice chairman and president Strategic Growth for Mastercard. “The
resiliency and drive of small business owners is unprecedented and
supporting their recovery is the single most important thing we can
all do for economic and social vitality.”
Birmingham-based small businesses interested in learning more
and signing up for an upcoming Ascend Birmingham cohort can visit
here. Mayor Woodfin and Mastercard will also recognize three
Birmingham businesses selected to be part of the national Priceless
campaign, which highlights creative businesses offering unique
experiences for patrons. Ursula Smith, founder of the Ursula Smith
Dance Co.; Evan and Eleny Christen, owners of Pinspiration
Birmingham; and Tanesha Sims-Summers, founder and CEO of Naughty
But Nice Kettle Corn Co. are the Birmingham honorees.
“Leveraging data-driven insights, we are partnering with the
City of Birmingham to assess the impact of the pandemic on the
local economy and help protect local communities and businesses
that are most at-risk,” said Linda Kirkpatrick, president of North
America for Mastercard. “With these insights we can engage our
network of partners and prioritize investments in order to
proactively build a foundation that fosters an equitable
recovery.”
“As an entrepreneur, I have had to adapt to a number of
obstacles and uncertainties. When confronted with a problem or
difficult situation I never run, which cultivated my faith,
resilience, courage and fortitude needed to thrive in life and
business. Opening a new studio location, a month before the
pandemic hit Alabama forced me to pivot to a digital platform. This
allowed me to expand my reach from Florida to Germany,” said Ursula
Smith, Owner of Ursula Smith Company.
In Solidarity with Birmingham
As part of its In Solidarity initiative, Mastercard has embarked
on a multi-city road show with Birmingham as the focus for the next
stop. To support the region in helping close the racial wealth and
opportunity gap for Black communities and business owners
Mastercard and Blavity, Inc. the pre-eminent media resource for
Black millennials, are partnering to launch a virtual discussion
addressing a financial system that has systemically disadvantaged
and excluded Black communities with a view to advancing opportunity
and equitable growth in Birmingham. Speakers include: The honorable
Randall Woodfin, Mayor of Birmingham, the Birmingham Office of
Social Justice and Racial Equity, Rev. Arthur Price, Regions Bank
and Morgan DeBaun, CEO, Blavity.
Expanding Digitally with Customer Experience and Safety
Prioritized
Ascend Birmingham is part of Mastercard’s wider recovery efforts
designed to support businesses and governments across the globe
looking for resources to help better manage the health, safety and
economic risks presented by the recent pandemic. Recovery Insights
offers a set of tools, innovation and research that can provide
some certainty today and support data-driven decision-making for a
more digital tomorrow. More information on Mastercard Recovery
Insights can be found here.
About Mastercard
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments
industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital
economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions
safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks,
partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help
individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses
realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ,
drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our
company. With connections across more than 210 countries and
territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks
priceless possibilities for all.
www.mastercard.com
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Media: Sarah Ely sarah.ely@mastercard.com (914)
249-6714
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