Now Open: Welcome to Chinatown’s Accelerator
Welcome to Chinatown's primary role is to elevate Chinatown businesses to ensure future generations can experience the neighborhood that has shaped our cultural identities as Asian Americans. Our strategic anchors focus on preservation, bridging gaps, giving back, and being a change maker in the community.
We launched the Longevity Fund to provide small business relief during a time of dire need. But it is apparent to us that in order for Chinatown to remain always open in the face of an unlevel playing field, neighborhood small businesses need more than short-term aid. As we think about our next phase of The Longevity Fund, Welcome to Chinatown is committed to investing in small business sustainability to ensure Chinatown’s small business owners are empowered to thrive independently.
Our accelerator aims to benefit those that need it most and will work with talented individuals and like-minded companies to provide targeted workings including but not limited to finance, marketing, and operations.
About our beverage accelerator
A good beverage program can increase gross margin by 75%, while beverages themselves usually sell at an 80% margin or above. The pilot program hopes to test some of the potential opportunities that current Chinatown restaurants, bars, and cafés may have to help increase revenue and profitability. Our pilot program will focus on introducing or improving your businesses' beverage program through our partnership with industry experts, like Lunar and With Warm Welcome.
Selected applicants will receive a monetary grant, product for the pilot period, a comprehensive menu review, consultation with industry experts, and help you and your staff create and curate an updated beverage program, assist with menu design and pricing, train staff to upsell product, and help measure overall revenue and profitability success. Learnings will be broadly shared and incorporated in future Welcome to Chinatown small business accelerator programs.
Two recipients will be selected for this 60 day program and will receive:
A $5,000 small business grant to be used at the owner's discretion
Expert consultations with leaders in the restaurant, beverage, and small business industry
Additional expenses paid for potential improvements that include menu development and design, beverage selection, sourcing and storage, delivery partnerships, and staff training
Marketing to spotlight your business and participation in our pilot program
Applications are now open until June 18, 2021 11:59PM EST. For any questions about the pilot program, or about filling out the application itself, please contact chinatown@welcometochinatown.com
About our accelerator partners
Kevin Wong, Lunar
Kevin is a co-founder of Lunar, the first and only Asian American craft hard seltzer that’s "born & raised here" in New York and made with real fruit juice and premium ingredients from Asia. He leads sales and finance at Lunar. In his free time, he's passionate about nurturing the next generation of Asian American leaders. He currently helps run RYSE Network and is a mentor for Spark Accelerator
Sean Ro, Lunar
Sean is a co-founder of Lunar Hard Seltzer, the first and only Asian American craft hard seltzer that’s "born & raised here" in New York and made with real fruit juice and premium ingredients from Asia. Hailing from the world of user experience design and most recently product management & operations, Sean spearheads all things marketing, partnerships, and creative direction of the brand in addition to co-developing new products and flavors with his co-founder.
Arnold Byun, With Warm Welcome
Arnold Byun is a community connector and brand builder. Arnold is the founder of With Warm Welcome and NAEMO. His purpose and passion is rooted in amplifying Asian American chefs and restaurateurs via storytelling, event activations, and creative endeavors such as podcasts, pop-ups, and products. His most recent project, NAEMO, empowers rising Korean American chefs via creative collaborations that celebrate and explore Korean cuisine and culture from a contemporary perspective
