Impact Women Owned

Small Business. Big Impact. 

We are proud of our clients who add vibrancy to our communities while creating a pathway to prosperity for themselves, their families and their employees. 

 

At LiftFund 86% of our clients are entrepreneurs of color, 40% are women and 26% are startups contributing to the local economy and making a difference in their communities. 

 

Read about our clients’ entrepreneurial journey and get inspired by their passion, commitment and resiliency. 

BIPOC Owned

Yanbin Che

Teaxas Blends

Yanbin Che grew up in the mountain village of Anxi Fujian, which many refer to as the “tea capital of China,” where for many families in the region, tea farming is a source of sustenance, culture and tradition.

When Yanbin moved to the US, she wanted to share her love and knowledge of tea with what she hoped would be an open and accepting customer base. However, upon entry Yabin experienced a few challenges, as she disco…

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BIPOC Owned

Nguyet “Vikki” Howard

Skillful Touch Massage

Vikki worked in chiropractic clinics, long-term care facilities and other community organizations providing healing through massage therapy. After graduating with her social work degree, she decided to open her own massage business, Skillful Touch Massage, to continue helping people dealing with physical and mental pain while having her own space and the freedom to set her own schedule.

The demand for her services rapidl…

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Women Owned

Valorie Anne Reynolds

Chica Verde

Valorie Anne Reynolds is the proud owner of Chica Verde, a vintage home décor shop in San Antonio, Texas, with a niche in outdoor décor that features Texas plants. Chica Verde’s mission is to “bring a bit of warmth and green” into the life of its customers, who are the center of the business.

As an entrepreneur with limited business education, Valorie lacked the traditional business acumen of many of her competitors. How…

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Women Owned

Tawnya Dee Sanford

Little Engine Learning Center

If you ask Tawnya Dee Sanford what her secret is to running a successful business, she’ll tell you that she’s willing to give people a chance. After all, she wouldn’t be where she is today — as a person and as an entrepreneur — if it weren’t for the chances that people gave to her.

Tawnya was raised by hergrandmother in a low-income household in a little town in Oklahoma. When she moved to San Antonio in the early 1990s …

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Women Owned

Elizabeth Ciarfeo

Brick at Blue Star Arts Complex

The arts have always been at the center of Elizabeth Ciarfeo’s life. After receiving a business and arts degree from Trinity University and developing extensive experience in the arts sector, Elizabeth realized she could use her business acumen to help artists bring their ideas and concepts to life. However, it was not until she was responsible for producing a nonprofit event for the Artist Foundation that her true calling,…

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BIPOC Owned

Montina Young

CIA Media Group

At CNote, we consider ourselves to be the CDFI industry’s biggest cheerleader. Then we met Montina Young.

When Montina was just 18 months old, her mother abandoned her. She was raised by an aunt, but she ended up homeless when she was 16 years old. Still, Montina managed to get her GED, and she hasn’t looked back since. Professionally, Montina has done a little bit of everything over the course of her career. While she s…

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