We pushed back when Kelly Ifill wanted to write the newsletter herself AND make it weekly. Turns out she was right 🙃 Opens are up, replies are coming in and the vulnerability she brings each week is clearly hitting a nerve. Check it out. https://guava.beehiiv.com/
About us
The banking hub for Black entrepreneurs and small business owners. #JoinGuava
- Website
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http://joinguava.com
External link for Guava
- Industry
- Financial Services
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- New York, NY
- Type
- Public Company
- Founded
- 2020
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
New York, NY, US
Employees at Guava
Updates
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Every element of a Guava Supper Club is curated for inspiration. For our September dinner, we partnered with @episofhaiti, a New York-based, Black-owned business celebrating Haiti through bold flavors and community. We were honored to have their delicious food at the center of our event and felt so inspired by the joy and nourishment they shared. Come get inspired at our next Supper Club on 10/16 - DM Kelly Ifill for details.
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Some thoughts on ownership as a path to wealth creation from our founder Kelly Ifill
This is my first semester teaching at Columbia Business School, my alma mater (!), with one of my social impact heroes, Antony Bugg-Levine. Even though I’m standing in front of a room of MBAs “imparting wisdom,” I often walk out having learned something myself, with my own frameworks pushed and challenged. Our first class was a full-circle moment. We focused on employee ownership with guest speaker Todd Leverette, co-founder of Apis & Heritage Capital Partners. Todd and I first met early in our founder journeys, so having him in class was special and even more so because we had the honor of writing the first business school case on his company. Apis & Heritage has developed a model that enables employees to purchase the businesses they work for, rather than see them sold off to private equity. Through the case and hearing Todd speak, it struck me that I’ve been thinking too narrowly about entrepreneurship as a path to wealth creation. It isn’t just about entrepreneurship. It’s about ownership. Entrepreneurship is one path, but it’s not the only path. And for many people, especially those from historically marginalized communities, starting a business can be too costly, too risky, and too inaccessible. Employee ownership creates another, often more realistic, entry point into building wealth and power. American capitalism is expressed through ownership. And broadening access to ownership in all its forms has to be part of how we think about equity and opportunity.
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Join us for Supper Club on Thursday 9/18! DM Kelly I. for details.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really takes to sustain yourself through the ups and downs of building a business. For me, the answer always comes back to the people around me. Having folks who get it, who can share advice, open doors, or just crack a joke when you need it most, makes all the difference. That’s literally why I started the Guava's Supper Club: a space for entrepreneurs who don’t always see themselves reflected in the room, but who are building big things anyway. Our next dinner is Thursday, Sept 18, and I have a couple seats left. If this sounds like the room you’ve been looking for, DM me and I’ll add you to the list.
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With the One Big Beautiful Bill on the horizon, it’s time to shift from shock to strategy. Major policy changes are coming—and Black small businesses need a game plan. From healthcare cuts to SNAP rollbacks and clean‑energy incentive rollbacks, our deep dive outlines what’s at stake and, more importantly, how to turn each challenge into opportunity. Read, Like, and Share our article to get your step-by-step playbook for staying ahead:
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Tonight, we’re gathering some of the most brilliant Black founders, creators and professionals at the Guava Supper Club. This is more than dinner — it’s where business cards get swapped, ideas take shape, and partnerships begin. Expect a table filled with good food, sharp minds, and real conversations about money, culture and building what’s next. Want to join us? Comment “invitation” below and we’ll reach out to you with the details for our August session. Let’s make space for the kind of connections that grow into something bigger.
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