IVP Business Accelerator
The Inclusive Ventures Program (IVP) is a business accelerator program designed to help small businesses in Anne Arundel County grow, scale, and succeed. Led by AAEDC and launched in January 2021, the program was created to strengthen the capacity of historically underrepresented businesses and promote equitable economic growth within the local community. IVP focuses on supporting small, minority-owned, women-owned, and Veteran-owned businesses by providing the tools, resources, and connections needed to take their businesses to the next level.
Through expert instruction, one-on-one mentorship, and access to capital, IVP helps entrepreneurs strengthen their business foundations while building meaningful relationships within the local business community.
IVP is funded in part through a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
IVP en Español
El Programa de Emprendimientos Inclusivos (IVP) es un programa gratuito de semenasque que ofrece a los propietarios de empresas en el condado de Anne Arundel educación empresarial y mentoría y más.
Program Structure
(IVP) combines structured instruction, mentorship, and peer collaboration to help entrepreneurs strengthen and scale their businesses. Participants gain practical guidance in areas such as 12-month cash flow projections, pricing products and services, developing Standard Operating Procedures, managing costs, creating legally binding documents, and planning for long-term growth and wealth management.
Entrepreneurs selected for IVP participate in a virtual cohort that meets once a week for a three-hour class over eight consecutive weeks. Each session provides practical strategies to address real-world challenges, identify opportunities, and plan for sustainable growth. Participants also work with experts in legal, human resources, marketing, AI, and accounting, and the program concludes with Pitch Day where participants present their growth plans to a panel of judges.
The class will be led by Will Holmes, award-winning business advisor, Founder of WHC, Chairman Emeritus of the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, and winner of the 2024 SBA Maryland Business of the Year. Read Will’s bio here.
After attending all sessions and completing all assignments and required meetings, participants receive:
- A graduation certificate and official IVP seal to promote their business
- Access to the VOLT Microloan Fund, offering loans up to $50,000 at a fixed 2.0% rate and additional capital through the VOLT Fund
- Access to exclusive business opportunities, promotions, and networking opportunities
Eligibility
Each cohort is limited to 10-13 participants, and all business owners must complete an online application and interview to be considered for admission.
To be eligible to apply, your business:
- Must be located in Anne Arundel County
- Should be in operation for at least two years
- Should have employees
- Should be in good standing with the State
In addition, applicants whose business is in a commercial space are preferred.
IVP by the Numbers
5
Years Since Launch
209
Graduates
18
Cohorts
2
Spanish Cohorts
483
New Jobs Created By Alumni (First 11 Cohorts)
$53M+
Revenue Generated By Alumni (First 11 Cohorts)
Strong Alumni Network
Graduating from AAEDC’s Inclusive Ventures Program means joining a growing community of entrepreneurs across Anne Arundel County. IVP alumni stay connected to AAEDC and each other through a private Facebook group, targeted emails highlighting exclusive funding and business opportunities, and in-person networking events throughout the year.
The result is a powerful network of business owners who continue to connect, collaborate, and capitalize on opportunities long after the program ends.
In 2026, we celebrated five incredible years of IVP graduates growing their businesses and driving grassroots economic development in Anne Arundel County. Visit our directory to discover the businesses that we’re so proud to call “IVP-Owned.”
Want to Hear What Makes IVP So Valuable?
200 small business owners have graduated from IVP since its inception, in January 2021, and many of them have shared their biggest takeaways from the program. Listen to several discuss their experience.
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Success Stories
“By participating in AAEDC’s Inclusive Ventures Program (IVP), I was able to access expert guidance that helped us move forward with clarity rather than guesswork – including how to structure growth, invest wisely, and plan for additional studio space and staffing.”
Joshua Buxton
Buxton Media Productions
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Success Stories
“Most importantly, IVP gave me confidence. It was so inspiring and empowering to talk to other business owners about our struggles, our joys, and our work. After eight weeks, I didn’t feel like ‘the farm girl who can’t keep her books straight.’ I felt like the business owner who was already on the right path and now had the tools to grow our farm business in limitless ways.”
Vicki Haberkom
Morris Hill Farm
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Success Stories
“The Inclusive Ventures Program gave me the tools and clarity I needed to grow with intention. Over eight weeks, I worked alongside entrepreneurs whose dreams looked like mine — ambitious, under-resourced, and ready to level up. IVP helped me get laser-focused on cash-flow projections, build sales models that aligned with actual growth goals, and transform ‘working hard’ into ‘working strategically.’ That shift alone reshaped how I think about scale. And the access to capital was life-changing. Because of what I learned in IVP — the coaching, the accountability, the financial preparation — I was able to secure more than $100,000 in grants. That funding strengthened our operations, expanded our ability to hire, and helped us build a stronger foundation to serve guests and our community.
Programs like IVP don’t just support small businesses; they close wealth gaps, they correct disparities in opportunity, and they create pathways that have historically been blocked for entrepreneurs of color.”
Sharon Jackson Wilder, Co-Founder and CEO
The Oaks Hospitality Group
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Success Stories
“IVP was amazing. It provided the opportunity to work on your business, rather than in it, alongside both new and experienced business owners who understand and relate to the same challenges and difficulties you’re having. I attribute a lot of our business’s ongoing growth to the lessons I learned and the connections I made in IVP, so I hope anybody who’s even just thinking about applying goes for it and jumps in.”
Jeremiah Batucan
Peake Social
Interested in joining a future cohort?
Contact AAEDC to request an application and learn more about upcoming program sessions.