ElevateHER Entrepreneurs marks first anniversary in Graham, helps local founders

ElevateHER Entrepreneurs is using a simple formula to lower the barrier for female founders in Alamance County: coffee, networking and a short business pitch, all before 9 a.m. The Alamance Chamber program, built on the 1 Million Cups model, marked its first anniversary with a community focus that stretched from Mebane to downtown Graham.

The May 28 session was held at EMBER Co-working in Mebane from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. EDT, with a brief Business Spotlight segment starting at 8:00 a.m. Attendance was free, registration was not required and participants did not have to be Chamber members. A follow-up networking session is scheduled for June 10 at Sile' Tea Room in downtown Graham, keeping the program close to the county’s small-business core.

For local founders, that format matters because it removes some of the biggest early-stage frictions. A free, drop-in event gives women owners a place to meet potential partners, compare notes on customers and funding, and get in front of peers without the cost or formality that can keep smaller operators away from larger business events. The Chamber has also placed ElevateHER inside a broader 2026 calendar that includes business councils, ribbon cuttings and grant deadlines, signaling that the program is part of a larger push to keep entrepreneurs connected to the county’s business network.

The need is visible in the county’s economic profile. Alamance County has 171,415 residents and 3,652 employer establishments, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Median household income stands at $65,966, and 30.5% of adults age 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Those figures point to a community with a sizable base of employers and a workforce that can support more small-business formation, but also one where access to networks and capital can shape who gets to grow.

That is where countywide support programs become part of the story. The Alamance County Economic Development Foundation’s 2026 Small Business Grant Program is aimed at launching, scaling and expanding local businesses, with launch grants ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 and growth grants from $5,000 to $15,000. Paired with ElevateHER’s low-cost networking model, the grant program suggests Alamance County is trying to build a more visible path from an idea to a business with customers, revenue and room to hire.

As ElevateHER Entrepreneurs enters its second year, the real test is practical: whether women founders in Alamance leave with stronger contacts, better advice and a clearer route to funding. In a county where small businesses remain central to local commerce, that kind of steady support can matter as much as any ribbon cutting.