For Koncept房子 founder Anthony Gee, entrepreneurship is a family tradition. Gee watched his mother build her own salon when he was a young boy, which instilled lifelong lessons that would go on to serve him in powerful ways. Koncept房子 in Castleberry Hill embodies this legacy of supporting others, serving as a nontraditional co-working space that provides flexible, creative environments for entrepreneurs. Koncept房子 partners with 28 entrepreneurs–a majority of which are Black female creators–who offer a range of services and products from skincare to coffee, 维生素和更多.

Following the opening of Koncept房子 in 2019, Gee saw more and more growth but not enough spaces to accommodate burgeoning entrepreneurs. “As the waitlist of entrepreneurs kept growing, I knew there was a demand for a second location of Koncept房子,吉说.

Having a different business model, he knew they needed a different type of funding partner.

“Financing is challenging because people don’t understand our market,” he explains “If you are a bank you don’t want to back a place with a bunch of small companies. It isn’t traditional coworking. Our business model is very different.” This led him to search for a less traditional funding source--one he found in the Atlanta Open for Business Fund - Commercial Down Payment Assistance Program (CDPA).

CDPA offers low-interest financing to assist existing business owners in the city of Atlanta with purchasing commercial property. 通过这个项目, Gee and his team were able to receive the guidance and financial support needed to make their dream of a second location a reality.

的 Atlanta Open for Business Fund is designed to help small business owners in Atlanta build wealth by investing in assets such as commercial space, 设备与技术. It is supported by a generous donation of $20 million from Wells Fargo and in partnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta to help Atlanta businesses impacted by the pandemic recover.

的 impact of the Atlanta Open for Business Fund on Koncept房子 will reverberate for years to come. 通过CDPA, Koncept房子’s new location on the Beltline will house 15-18 entrepreneurs and provide them the space and support needed to take their next steps in fulfilling their entrepreneurial goals.

探索 Koncept房子 to learn more about their incredible entrepreneurs.