Reflections from Kat Lazell, Senior Program Manager, CIC Social Impact Program

Please bear with me for a bit of sentimentality right off the bat. I’ve been at CIC for nearly 8 years, and in that time have had the privilege to build out deep relationships with people in our community. A key piece of my work has been bringing new faces into CIC, and figuring out ways to maximize impact in the Boston ecosystem. This intention has was not fully realized until CIC had the opportunity to launch the Massachusetts Social Impact Program at the start of 2024, thanks to funding from the Minority Business Agency’s Capital Readiness Program.
The Social Impact Program gives CIC and those in our ecosystem a chance to make this community one of equity and belonging, helping open doors for entrepreneurs, and providing founders with new forms of access. Beyond this, it gives us an opportunity to intentionally influence a funding culture that invests in less than 3% of female and BIPOC-led businesses (Crunchbase, Startup Genome). This program allows us to use our voices and our privileges to bring more people to the table. And, it makes us as facilitators look at who we are bringing into consult, mentor, and educate – ensuring that we are considering inclusivity in its totality: not just to those we serve in our programs but also through those who support our startups.
In our first year, I am walking away with some key takeaways:
1. Seeing the individual is key. Having spent between 3-6 months with our cohorts, seeing them on a weekly basis, I am reminded at how critical it is to see the individual – not just the business, or even the CEO – when creating programs and gathering resources. Together, our cohorts have been through all the ups and downs of a startup: personnel changes, pursuing funding, launching products, deals falling through; but also everything that can happen to us as people: engagements and marriages, births, deaths, moving to new houses, and more. What sets our program apart from others is the focus we place on our founders and serving their individual needs – and with that, it is imperative that we also see the individual outside of their startup and support them in all the curveballs that life can throw their way.
2. Community is critical. Our first cohort, our Growth-Stage group, set the example for this, and it’s now a key piece of the fabric that we will weave into all programs to come. We watched their community naturally form as they supported each other, despite disparate industries and backgrounds, in building connections and being there for each other through thick and thin. Cohort 1, you will always be the trailblazers in this experience.
3. A lack of opportunity does not mean a lack of expertise. Our Early-Stage Cohort shone a light on this learning from day one. Although their startups were new and still building out their MVPs, the entrepreneurs were not inexperienced. We were thrilled to see them take advantage of the resources offered, and engage with each other to problem-solve, build out tech, and celebrate each other’s successes. The program flew by, but these entrepreneurs accomplished so much in their short time with us.
A final word of thanks: I am grateful that our cohorts have trusted us and allowed us to take part in this vulnerable and meaningful journey. They have never once asked for too much and I hope they are proud of using their voices to set boundaries and make their needs known.
I want to thank all those in the community who have reached out, supported our program and founders, and offered words of encouragement.
Last but not least, I’d like to also thank Sam Garcia, Program Coordinator, for her wisdom, voice, and perspective. This program would not have grown in the same way without her collaboration, and I am excited to see what we build in the year to come.
Learn more about the program from recent cohort participants: