About Us

We aim to lift our entrepreneurial community through education, social capital growth, and mentorship! We focus on developing and supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas. 

We offer a free, intense 6-week education program designed to provide you with the basics you need to know to launch or grow your business. Classes run as a cohort with up to 25 entrepreneurs. This structure allows for community support and feedback while developing your business and providing vital connections to other business professionals.

Entrepreneur Edge (formerly: Empower by GoDaddy) was named the winner of PR Daily's "Corporate-Community or Nonprofit Partnership" category in the 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards. Based on our success, plans are now in place to use the framework, curriculum, and core program components to launch an additional 26 programs across the country.

What We Value

• Creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed.
• Supporting you to help you and your business grow.
• Creating a community inside our program. We love seeing our entrepreneurs work together.
• Changing the status quo. People from all walks of life have great ideas. Our job is to help push those ideas forward.
• Not being afraid to fall with flair; we love taking risks when they make sense.

What's Our Focus

Entrepreneur Edge's primary focus is Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas. While we actively look for people in our local community, we are happy to help entrepreneurs outside the Cedar Rapids area. We encourage you to click the link below to request more information.

Our Philosophy

We operate on a three-pillar model of:

Education - An entrepreneur must understand the principles of business in order to maximize success and minimize the chance of loss. The program will address the basic needs to start and operate a small business. 

Social Capital - Much of an entrepreneur's success comes from the people they know. The program will help to build the skills to grow and maintain social relationships.

Support/Mentorship - While basic knowledge and who you know are vastly important for an entrepreneur, it is impossible to know everything. A mentor and emotional support, especially in hard times, are essential to the success of all entrepreneurs. 

Our Team

Maurice Davis, Program Manager

Maurice grew up in the Chicagoland area and attended the University of Upper Iowa, earning a Bachelor's degree in Finance.

Maurice worked as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, which helped merge his passion for finance, education, and helping people into a wonderful career opportunity.  He is also active in community programs including serving on the board of Families Helping Families and African American Museum. 

Faith Robinson, Administrative Navigator

Faith was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. She attended Kirkwood Community College and later Mt. Mercy University where she earned her Bachelor's in Communications with a Minor in Public Relations.

She was involved in Kirkwood Student Productions where she did photography and videography and wrote for both student newspapers. She enjoys helping people and wants to be an asset and resource to her community.