Hatch Partners
Community partnerships are Pillar 3 of the Five-Year Business Plan — a standing roster of 10+ active partners by FY 2030, owned by the Asset Manager. These are the anchor partners today; together with Hatch and Capital One they run the Entrepreneur Empowerment Program (EEP), a multi-week cohort for food & beverage founders.
Culinary Concepts AB
culinaryconceptsab.com ↗Culinary Concepts AB is a Virginia-based culinary training and workforce development company that pairs professional kitchen-skills certification with emotional-intelligence and leadership training. It runs programs for aspiring culinary professionals, cooking classes, and consulting for hospitality employers.
How they work with Hatch: Chef Antwon Brinson leads the Entrepreneur Empowerment Program with Hatch, Capital One and Bridging Virginia — a six-week intensive for food & beverage founders. Their EEP page puts it directly: "Our partnership with Hatch unlocks the shared commercial kitchens, private production suites, and hands-on culinary mentorship your business needs to scale."
Bridging Virginia
www.bridgingvirginia.com ↗Bridging Virginia is a Richmond-based community development financial institution (CDFI) providing affordable loan capital and technical assistance to historically marginalized small businesses — built around "care, collaboration, and capital." Its loan clients are 85% people of color and 90% women of color.
How they work with Hatch: A founding EEP partner since the 2022 pilot ("Chef Antwon Brinson joined forces with Capital One, Bridging Virginia and Hatch Kitchen RVA to lead a six-week pilot program for culinary entrepreneurs"). Through the partnership, EEP participants can access up to $50,000 in growth capital, and Bridging Virginia client stories (Joyebells, PastryBase) run through the Hatch campus.
Also active or being pursued per the business plan: Capital One, Startup VA, J. Sargeant Reynolds, University of Richmond, Culinary Institute of VA / ECPI, SBA, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bon Secours, and Richmond-area farmers markets.