By Mark Kelly | Alabama NewsCenter
Four innovative Birmingham entrepreneurs have been awarded two years of funding and mentoring for their businesses, thanks to their selection as Bold Path Fellows. A new program designed to provide capital and support to under-resourced graduates of Birmingham postsecondary institutions starting social impact-related businesses, the Bold Path Fellowship Program is funded by the ECMC Group Education Impact Fund and ECMC Foundation.
Each of the entrepreneurs will receive $120,000 in nondilutive grant funding — meaning that the founders give up no ownership in return for the capital from the program — along with guidance and advice from local mentors. The 2025 Birmingham Bold Path Fellows are:
Jevon Tatum, founder of Essence Body Products, a sustainable wellness brand that uses natural ingredients to create eco-friendly products, with long-term goals to expand into community farming and AI-driven gardening services.
Kym’Bria Green, who is developing Sweet Spot for All, a subscription service for diabetics and their families, offering diabetic-friendly supplies, snacks and tips, with the goal of making diabetes management more accessible.
Stephanie Stewart, co-founder of Sweet as a Peach Design Studio, which provides aspiring designers and local businesses in Birmingham with creative services, mentorship and tools to foster growth and creativity in the design community.
Myles Taylor, who is developing Dosie, which helps individuals manage complex medication regimens while also strengthening family connections and contributing to Birmingham’s growing healthcare innovation sector.
“Each of the fellows will establish their business in the greater Birmingham area, which fosters economic growth,” said Jessica Haselton, managing director of ECMC Foundation. “This is a win-win for the fellows as well as the local community.”
Though generally recognized as one of the best pathways to wealth creation, entrepreneurship is a special challenge for first-generation students or those from low-income backgrounds who lack the resources or network to support the investment of time and money required to establish and grow early-stage businesses. The $120,000 provided to each of the Bold Path Fellows is intended to substitute for the early “family and friends” funding that is often critical to the success of a new business.
“We created this program to provide opportunities for postsecondary graduates who want to pursue entrepreneurship but lack the resources to support getting their ventures off the ground,” said Joe Watt, managing director of the Education Impact Fund. “We were incredibly impressed by the individuals that applied and the ideas that were brought forth and look forward to supporting the fellows through the process of bringing their business to reality.”
The recent awards are the first for the Bold Path Fellowship Program, which launched in Birmingham in October 2024. Local economic development nonprofit Prosper is the program’s key strategic partner, helping to build relationships with postsecondary institutions, support organizations and community members in the Birmingham area.
