According to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, small businesses account for 99.7% of total businesses in Georgia. The vast majority of which — over 1,000,000 — are operated by entrepreneurs with fewer than 20 employees.
And then, there are some entrepreneurs in Georgia who are so young, they’re running their businesses from their childhood bedrooms. They’re also taking advantage of an opportunity provided by the City of Atlanta, the Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program. Showcase Atlanta, which is spearheading the program, wanted to help young small business owners to take advantage of the economic opportunities brought to the city by the World Cup.
“The question was, how do we engage with the World Cup? How do we engage with some of the things happening with the city of Atlanta?” said Kelsey Maynor, the director of small business for Showcase Atlanta. “And as we’re pushing with Showcase Atlanta, talking about local small businesses and the community, one of the things we had to do was create an opportunity for our youth to get in there.”
The 2026 cohort of the accelerator program ranges in age from 16 to 21, with businesses ranging from a personal finance app, journals with daily prompts for mental health, crochet crafts, and sweet treats including Italian Ice, sweet potato pies, cookie cakes, and açaí bowls.
On Monday’s “Closer Look with Rose Scott,” we were introduced to cohort participants Devin Mitchell and Jase Kurtz. Mitchell is the founder and CEO of SOKA, a soccer streetwear brand and Kurtz is the founder of Jase’s Lemonade.
