The Chicago Urban League Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Chicago supports Black business growth.

The Chicago Urban League Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is dedicated to helping Black entrepreneurs launch, grow, and sustain businesses in Chicago. The Center equips founders with essential tools to maximize revenue, reduce costs, increase profitability, and drive job creation while fostering innovation. A key focus is assisting businesses in obtaining supplier diversity certifications, responding to public and private contract bids, and increasing the volume and value of contracts secured. To ensure Black entrepreneurs flourish and contribute to the city's economic development, the Center offers one-on-one coaching covering strategy, branding, access to capital, marketing, finance, procurement, and operations. The organization provides a first-class faculty of coaches and volunteer subject matter experts to deliver superior business counsel. Training programs include the six-week nextSTARTUP program for startups moving from idea to launch, the 12-week nextDEAL program for professional services firms pursuing large contracts, the free 8-week nextDIGITAL program for mastering digital marketing, the 12-month nextLEVELEXCHANGE mentoring initiative, and the 9-month nextONE program designed to help Black-owned businesses scale. Additionally, the Center offers personalized business coaching for both aspiring and established entrepreneurs, and has hosted the WOKE Entrepreneur Summit since 2018, bringing together African American entrepreneurs aged 21-45 for learning, networking, and celebration.