Welcome to Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative
The only cooperative community for and by entrepreneurs
Welcome to Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative
The only cooperative community for and by entrepreneurs
Own Your Future
We provide holistic and culturally relevant education, advising and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses in service to their communities.
Find out which program is right for your business.
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Be Your Own Boss Bootcamp | Launch Your Business Bootcamp | Entrepreneur Academy | Pre-Loan Advising | Growth Advising | Retention Advising |
| I like the idea of being an entrepreneur, but I don’t know what business I want to start |  | |||||
| I am interested in starting or growing a business | | | | | | |
| I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community | | | | | | |
| I have experience in the industry that I am starting or growing a business in | | | | | |
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| I have an idea for the business that I want to start, or I have already started my business | | | | | |
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| I want to grow my business beyond making a living for myself | | | | | |
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| I have tested and received feedback on my business idea beyond my friends and family | | | | |
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| I have a website and social media presence for my business | | | | |
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| My business has been making sales over the last year in the amount of… | Between $5,000-$50,000 in the last year | Over $50,000 in the last year | Over $50,000 in the last year | Over $50,000 in the last year | ||
| I have received outside funding for my business through pitch competitions, crowdfunding, loans, and/or equity (excluding relief funds) | Up to $10,000 of total funding | Not applicable | From one of our partner organizations | Not applicable | ||
| My business is currently at risk of displacement or closure | |
Not sure where to start?
Match your goal with the program that is right for you!
Be Your Own Boss Bootcamp
- I like the idea of being an entrepreneur, but I don’t know what business I want to start
- I am interested in starting or growing a business
- I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community
Launch Your Business Bootcamp
- I am interested in starting or growing a business
- I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community
- I have experience in the industry that I am starting or growing a business in
- I have an idea for the business that I want to start, or I have already started my business
- I want to grow my business beyond making a living for myself
Entrepreneur Academy
- I am interested in starting or growing a business
- I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community
- I have experience in the industry that I am starting or growing a business in
- I have an idea for the business that I want to start, or I have already started my business
- I want to grow my business beyond making a living for myself
- I have tested and received feedback on my business idea beyond my friends and family
- I have a website and social media presence for my business
- My business has been making sales over the last year in the amount of…
Between $5,000-$50,000 in the last year - I have received outside funding for my business through pitch competitions, crowdfunding, loans, and/or equity (excluding relief funds)
Up to $10,000 of total funding
Pre-Loan Advising
- I am interested in starting or growing a business
- I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community
- I have experience in the industry that I am starting or growing a business in
- I have an idea for the business that I want to start, or I have already started my business
- I want to grow my business beyond making a living for myself
- I have tested and received feedback on my business idea beyond my friends and family
- I have a website and social media presence for my business
- My business has been making sales over the last year in the amount of…
Over $50,000 in the last year
Growth Advising
- I am interested in starting or growing a business
- I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community
- I have experience in the industry that I am starting or growing a business in
- I have an idea for the business that I want to start, or I have already started my business
- I want to grow my business beyond making a living for myself
- I have tested and received feedback on my business idea beyond my friends and family
- I have a website and social media presence for my business
- My business has been making sales over the last year in the amount of…
Over $50,000 in the last year - I have received outside funding for my business through pitch competitions, crowdfunding, loans, and/or equity (excluding relief funds)
From one of our partner organizations
Retention Advising
- I am interested in starting or growing a business
- I want my business to create meaningful positive social, environmental, or economic impact in my community
- I have experience in the industry that I am starting or growing a business in
- I have an idea for the business that I want to start, or I have already started my business
- I want to grow my business beyond making a living for myself
- I have tested and received feedback on my business idea beyond my friends and family
- I have a website and social media presence for my business
- My business has been making sales over the last year in the amount of…
Over $50,000 in the last year - My business is currently at risk of displacement or closure
Uptima’s Impact
725
Entrepreneurs Served
698
Jobs Created
$ 5,730,346
Funding Received by
Businesses We Support
Member Success Stories
Following Her Passion:
Ariana Marbley
Ariana Marbley founded Esscents of Flowers, an Oakland-based floral business. Through our relationship with The Runway Project and Kiva, Ariana was able to raise $30,000 to create a mobile floral business. Find out how Ariana got started.
A Modern Lemonade Stand:
Vicktor Stevenson
Vicktor Stevenson founded Gourmonade, a San Francisco-based gourmet lemonade business. Vicktor learned the art of bartending in order to apply mixology in creating unique lemonade flavors. Find out how Vicktor to turn his concept into a permanent lemonade stand.
Supporting Black-Owned Businesses: YaVette Holts
YaVette Holts founded the Bay Area Organization of Black-Owned Businesses (BAOBOB), a network for black-owned businesses. Find out how BAOBOB helps businesses and customers be intentional with how they spend their money, keeping dollars circulating within the African-American community.
What members are saying…
It was truly the single most important class that I have ever taken without exaggeration—including my formal academic graduate work. I’ve never before been in a class that so instantaneously established that it was critical to bring your complete self to the table in order to succeed. It is profound, what this “seeing of yourself”, can produce—clarity, confidence, and drive.
Uptima Business Bootcamp came into my life right as I needed it. I was in the process of starting a creative business and was for the first time representing people other than myself. In a short time, I’ve been able to wrap my head around fundamental concepts necessary to embark on an endeavor of this magnitude and have found a supportive community of social entrepreneurs looking to do the same thing.
As someone who has started a few business ventures in the past, including a nonprofit organization and a national consulting practice, being a part of Uptima Business Bootcamp helped take Prof360 to a different level. In a large part, because of Uptima Business Bootcamp Prof360 is being built on a solid foundation that will ensure our ongoing success.
It is like getting an MBA in 9 months. The program offers exceptional curriculum and business tools unavailable to most small business owners. That combined with the carefully selected, inspiring and supportive business owners makes the program unparalleled to anything currently available.
Meet Our Team
Upcoming Programs
| Program | Enrollment Period | Application Deadline | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entrepreneurship Academy | Fall, 2021 | 8/6/21 | Boston, Oakland |
| Freelancer Course | Fall, 2021 | 8/27/21 | Boston, Oakland |
| Explore Your Idea Course | Fall, 2021 | 8/27/21 | Boston, Oakland |
| Be Your Own Boss Course | Fall, 2021 | 9/10/21 | Boston, Oakland |
| Program | Enrollment Period | Application Deadline | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Chicago |
| Launch Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Oakland |
| Small Business Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Chicago |
| Small Business Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Chicago |
| Launch Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Oakland |
| Small Business Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Chicago |
Upcoming Courses
| Program | Enrollment Period | Application Deadline | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Chicago |
| Launch Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Oakland |
| Small Business Academy | Spring / Summer, 2024 | 04/19/2024 | Chicago |
| Small Business Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Boston |
| Launch Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Chicago |
| Launch Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Oakland |
| Small Business Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Chicago |
| Small Business Academy | Fall, 2024 | 08/02/2024 | Oakland |