LISC LA PROGRAM, FUELING EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS, OFFERS $5,000 GRANTS TO FINALISTS

Fueling Emerging Entrepreneurs (FEE) Is Powered by LISC LA and Leading North American Bank BMO

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — LISC LA, in partnership with BMO, has launched the Fueling Emerging Entrepreneurs (FEE) grant program, supporting Los Angeles County entrepreneurs who are building businesses rooted in creativity, equity, and economic opportunity. The program awards $5,000 grants to finalists, recognizing innovation, resilience, and community impact.

Fueling Emerging Entrepreneurs (FEE), highlights Los Angeles County entrepreneurs who are building businesses rooted in creativity and economic opportunity.

The 2025 FEE culminating event took place on October 10, 2025, at Hotel Indigo in Los Angeles. The event brought together funders, business leaders, student entrepreneurs, and community partners to celebrate the grant winners, showcase rapid-fire pitches from finalists, and inspire connections that catalyze the next generation of Los Angeles entrepreneurs.

The 2025 grant winners and pitch finalists who received $5,000 each include:

• Sivil Technologies — Tony Rice | A community-driven social enterprise platform that connects people with trusted resources and services.
• Nxmotive — Kyle McMillan & Jennifer McMillan | An electric mobility company building innovative e-bike solutions for urban commuters.
• A1 Academics LLC — Allayah Beamon | An education company empowering students with personalized academic support and enrichment programs.
• Azadi Health — Rodney Bell | A wellness brand focused on holistic health products and services for underserved communities.
• StartHER TV — Judith Norman | A digital media network showcasing and amplifying the voices of women entrepreneurs and creators.
• Aqua Equity — Ryan Morgan | A bottled water company reinvesting profits into underserved communities to champion equity.
• Duck Punk Productions — Mellissa Tong | An award-winning creative marketing agency producing storytelling content for TV, digital, and corporate campaigns.
• WattsUp EV — Hilary Taylor | A clean energy startup developing EV charging solutions for accessible and sustainable transportation.

The emcee of the event was Monique Idlett, Co-Founder, General Partner, Reign Ventures and the Keynote Address was given by Chris Yeh, Founding Partner, Blitzscaling Ventures and Co-author of Blitzscaling, The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies. Also presenting was Anita DardenGardyne, CEO of RPG Associates, Silicon Valley Innovator, Award-Winning Business Leader and Pitch Coach.

The afternoon included:

• Rapid-fire pitches from eight outstanding finalists
• Grant award ceremony recognizing emerging entrepreneurs
• VIP book signing and networking with leaders, funders, and community changemakers

“At LISC LA, our mission is to help fuel local businesses and entrepreneurs by providing access to capital and business development resources,” said Jabbar Wesley, Senior Program Officer, Head of Economic Development, LISC LA. “The Fueling Emerging Entrepreneurs Program plays a key role in supporting small businesses in Los Angeles, and it is gratifying to help strengthen our local economy.”

About LISC LA
LISC LA works with residents and partners to build resilient communities of opportunity across Los Angeles. Key strategies include strengthening alliances, developing local leadership, equipping talent with skills to compete, investing in businesses and infrastructure, and driving policy changes that foster broadly shared prosperity.

BMO Gives. Good grows here. 

Building strong communities by supporting the organizations that serve them and encouraging employee giving and volunteerism is at the heart of BMO’s Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life.

In 2024, we directed more than $80 million to drive progress for communities, which included $74.3 (USD) million in philanthropic contributions to hundreds of charities and nonprofit organizations across North America. 

Our colleagues spent over 54,000 hours volunteering in the community and contributed more than $28.7 (USD) million of donations through employee-driven giving in our annual campaigns.

For more information, please visit BMO.com.

Media Contact:
Frank Tortorici
VP of Media Relations
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Phone: (908) 875-8908

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SOURCE LISC Los Angeles