The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) previewed the Pathways to Entrepreneurship Program: Powering Small Businesses in Emerging Transportation Markets pilot program in September.
The program is comprised of three pathways to entrepreneurship and is designed for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and HBCU students.
The program’s goal is to engage HBCU institutions, empower small and disadvantaged businesses seeking to pivot into new and emerging transportation markets, and educate aspiring HBCU students with an entrepreneurial mindset who are eager to explore new transportation markets and consider transportation career options.
USDOT held a one-day event at its headquarters that attracted approximately 400 academic leaders, transportation stakeholders, and small-business owners. The event provided an overview of the pilot program.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made a generational investment in our transportation infrastructure—and we’re also making sure that small and disadvantaged businesses are part of the work to build and rebuild our transportation systems,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said. “The successful launch of the Pathways to Entrepreneurship pilot program is part of our continued work to create equitable access to economic opportunities so small and disadvantaged businesses can thrive in emerging transportation markets today and in the decades ahead.”