In East St. Louis, all the neighborhoods are actually one neighborhood, and everyone has something to share. We believe we can help change lives of people one local small business at a time.
This belief inspired a group of Washington University students to found the East St. Louis Initiative (ESLI) last September.
ESLI exists to support East St. Louis entrepreneurs with access to consulting, training, and legal services. In order to provide these services, ESLI connects student volunteers with a budding entrepreneur for four months of intensive support. The organization is already supporting a pair of driven entrepreneurs, including a mobile barbershop and a volleyball club.
Read more on this story at Washington University’s FUSE: Igniting Innovation & Connecting Entrepreneurs.