Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Cisco Partners with BEA Foundation to Support Entrepreneurship at HBCUs

In partnership with the Black Economic Alliance Foundation (BEA Foundation), Cisco has committed $5 million in grants and technical services to fuel entrepreneurship at historically Black colleges and universities. The funding will advance the development of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE), an academic center devoted to growing the pipeline of Black entrepreneurial talent, and will support CBE programming at Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University.

The funding will be distributed as follows:

  • $3 million allotted evenly across endowed faculty positions for the expansion of current CBE programming at Spelman and Morehouse and the establishment of future CBE graduate-level programming at CAU;
  • More than $1 million in technology products and services for Spelman, Morehouse and CAU; and
  • $1 million toward the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund, an investment fund that provides capital to businesses founded and led by Black entrepreneurs. A portion of the grant funds will be earmarked for graduates of the CBE.

"The Center for Black Entrepreneurship and the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund are tangible solutions to advance work, wages, and wealth across the Black community," said Samantha Tweedy, president of the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, in a statement. "We're thankful to Cisco for their generous support and strategic partnership in advancing the vision of the CBE and investing in Black entrepreneurs who will multiply prosperity for our community and, in so doing, grow the American economy."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Digital Network of User Profiles and Data Connections

    Microsoft, RSA Make Identity Security Push in the Age of AI

    Two of the bigger authentication announcements to come out of the recent RSA Conference both point in the same direction: Organizations need a more flexible, unified approach to identity security, especially as AI agents start acting alongside human workers.

  • Blue digital wireframe classical building structure

    Before AI, Fix Your Data

    Institutions don't have to solve every data problem before they can begin using AI responsibly. But they do need to treat information as a strategic asset — not a byproduct of operations — and start building toward AI-ready data now.

  • businesspeople in silhouette with colorful network lines

    Report: AI Will Reshape Work More than Replace It, but Global Impact Is Uneven

    Richer countries face greater exposure to AI-driven changes than developing countries, which are less exposed to AI but risk being left behind, according to a joint report from the International Labour Organization and World Bank.

  • illustration of people collaborating around large interlocking gears and data charts

    Why ERP and AI Initiatives Stall at the Execution Layer: A CIO Perspective

    Higher education institutions are investing heavily in ERP modernization, analytics, and AI-driven capabilities. Yet even with these investments, many are running into the same issue: turning insight into coordinated, timely action.