Built in the Bay: Introducing the 24 local businesses joining the ICA Fund Accelerator

ICA Fund is excited to introduce the 2025 Accelerator cohort of small businesses who are creating more vibrant, resilient communities with local jobs and shared wealth — all built in in the Bay Area.

This year, we are welcoming 24 new businesses that reflect the diversity of industries in the Bay Area. From green tech and education, to apparel and CPG, these entrepreneurs show a vast array of innovative solutions to build wealth and connection in their communities. Through the Accelerator, these businesses will learn tested growth strategies, connect with ICA’s expert advising network, and – when the time is right – have access to our flexible, founder-friendly equity capital. Welcome to ICA Fund!

‍About the ICA Fund Accelerator

ICA Fund’s 12-week business advising program has two tracks: The Lab at ICA for early-stage businesses, and The Accelerator at ICA for companies ready to scale. These programs, which have graduated 173 of the Bay Area’s most iconic businesses, connect founders with personalized business coaching and a network of peers. Entrepreneurs learn strategies to become capital-ready and scale their businesses while building wealth for themselves, their employees, and their communities. 

The Accelerator Track

The Accelerator at ICA is an intensive program track focused on growth, people, and capital strategy along with investment readiness. Selected businesses for Cohort 14 are: 

Abstinence Spirits | Ranwei Chiang & Delta Croudace | Food and Beverage - CPG

Abstinence Spirits makes premium distilled non-alcoholic spirits infused with botanicals from South Africa. 

DORIAN WEBB | Dorian Webb | Jewelry

Dorian Webb creates jewelry pieces that celebrate women, support African American culture, and amplify the beauty of connection. They specialize in semi-precious and precious designs set in sterling silver and 18k gold.

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EVmatch | Heather Hochrein | Technology

EVmatch is an EV charging company that makes EV charging profitable in shared spaces and accessible to all drivers. Their unique software enables apartment operators to equip their buildings with an affordable EV charging reservation management system that increases net operating income, resident satisfaction, and community access. 

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KARDA | Armando Torres | Technology

KARDA provides an AI document creator that quickly and easily creates detailed police reports from a variety of input sources including body camera footage, in order to streamline the 4 daily hours police officers spend writing police reports.

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Mama Teav’s | Christina Teav-Liu & Anthony Teav| Food and Beverage - CPG

Mama Teav’s produces small-batch, garlic-forward chili crisp packed with Cambodian-inspired flavors.

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Osorio Training Center | Robert Osorio | Healthcare

Osorio Training Center is a martial arts gym that offers boxing, jiu-jitsu, strength + conditioning, yoga and wrestling - additionally, we offer personal sessions in each of our disciplines, access to open gym, and training to join the fight team to compete, on a mission to empower their community through boxing and beyond.

Pricklee LLC | Yuange Yang & Kun Yang | Food and Beverage - CPG

Pricklee makes award-winning cactus water using the prickly pear cactus superfruit that is packed with natural antioxidants, is low-in-sugar, and eco-friendly, to help families build healthier, happier, and more sustainable hydration habits.

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Swings and Wings | Sadiya Kazi-Koya | Education 

Swings and Wings is a sensory-rich play space designed for child-led, self-directed play and parent resources. Offerings include play, camps, parties, classes, drop-off programs and community events. It is one of three interconnected businesses with a vision to create inclusive, sensory-rich spaces where children and their caregivers can thrive.

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The Lab Track

The Lab at ICA is our program track for early-stage businesses looking to strengthen their business model, stabilize operations, establish a path for growth, and get ready to take on capital. All companies that complete the Lab are priority applications for up to $50K from ICA’s Seed Equity Fund. Selected businesses for Cohort 8 are: 

Aam The Label | Neha Samdaria | Apparel

AamThe Label makes clothing for women with full hips and thighs. Each piece is responsibly made using soft, sustainable fabrics, in a factory that is certified for safe working conditions. 

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Bonjerk | Anica Wu | Food and Beverage - CPG

Bonjerk is an Asian spiced jerky company sharing flavors inspired by East-Asian dishes with meat from family-run ranches in the US.

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COCOACENTRIC | LaToya McInnis | Retail

COCOACENTRIC is a Black-woman-owned lifestyle brand that designs and curates high-quality jewelry pieces that celebrate bold statement style, drawing inspiration from the African diaspora, modern art and nature.

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Doughpamine | Jessica Nolan | Food and Beverage - CPG

Doughpamine makes gourmet frozen take-and-bake cookie dough in chef-created flavors, like Miso Peanut Butter and Blueberry Corn.

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Fly Wines | Stephanie Franklin | Food and Beverage - CPG

Fly Wines curates a selection of unique, artisanal wines from small, family-owned wineries around the world. They offer a direct-to-consumer wine subscription service and a B2B distribution and wholesale service for restaurants and wine shops.

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Gourmonade LLC | Vicktor Stevenson | Food and Beverage - CPG

Gourmonade is a gourmet lemonade company that manufactures and distributes gourmet lemonades primarily at farmers markets and online, with seasonal and farm-inspired flavors.

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Grand and Graham Pets | Elizabeth Irwin | Personal Services

Grand & Graham Pets is a woman-owned, in-home pet service company in San Francisco, CA that provides overnight in-home care for dogs and multi-pet homes, including senior and special needs pets. They offer a caregiver matching process to reduce customer anxiety and create a curated experience for clients.

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Hella Dac Biet Foods LLC | Joseph Ngo | Food and Beverage - CPG

Hella Dac Biet Foods specializes in frozen fusion food with globally inspired flavors.

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Hey!Hunger | Shireen Khera | Food and Beverage - CPG

Hey!Hunger creates ultra low-processed, nutrient-rich nutburgers crafted with bold Indian-inspired flavors. They use organic, sustainable ingredients and eco-friendly practices to deliver delicious, health-focused plant-based meals including burgers, versatile sauces, and ready to eat meals.

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Mighty Mallow Crispie Treats | Nicole Milliner | Food and Beverage - CPG

Mighty Mallow Crispie Treats is a specialty food/confection business located in Concord, California that uses high-quality, wholesome ingredients to create small-batch, handcrafted pre-packaged treats. 

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Malibu’s Burgers | Darren Preston | Food and Beverage - Food Service

Malibu's Eatery is a vegan burger restaurant with two convenient locations, where we serve delicious plant-based meals that everyone can enjoy.

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Nokki Farm | Nikky Do | Food and Beverage - CPG

Nokki Farm creates freeze-dried tropical fruit snacks made from fruits sourced directly from farms in Vietnam.

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Paleta Planeta | Gabriel & Luis Salazar | Food and Beverage - Food Service

Paleta Planeta is a vibrant Mexican paleteria and catering service, located in Downtown San Jose that offers a variety of authentic and delicious treats, including paletas (traditional Mexican popsicles), creamy ice cream, indulgent ice cream sandwiches, refreshing milkshakes, and esquites, a flavorful take on traditional Mexican street corn.

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Project Pet | Marshall Williams & Michael Garcia | Retail

Project Pet is a social enterprise that improves access to mental health and social services by leveraging the human-animal bond. They offer a dog training program that integrates mental health education, pop-up vet clinics, and a technology-driven platform that connects individuals to essential services. They are also focused on creating workforce development opportunities for marginalized individuals, ensuring sustainable community impact.

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The Daisy Refillery | Karen Chaw | Retail

The Daisy Refillery provides more access to sustainable living with their "milkman-style" local delivery of sustainable household care and personal care products and a refill service for bulk products — all free of single-use plastic. 

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The Giving Pies, Inc | Voahangy Rasetarinera | Food and Beverage - Food Service

The Giving Pies is a purpose-driven bakery specializing in handcrafted sweet and savory pies. Every purchase contributes to their “Pie-It-Forward” program, supporting local non-profits, school fundraisers, and community initiatives. 

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“We hit the jackpot this year— this set of advisors and facilitators are so uniquely enthusiastic and expert, which is going to make for an amazing learning experience for our new cohort,” said Cynthia Billops, Director of the Direct Services team. “It is always great to be able to work with local small businesses, but right now, they are under a lot of pressure, so it especially feels good to provide consistent support.”

In 2024, companies who worked with ICA retained 929 jobs and paid an average hourly wage of $27.57/hour, compared to the $17.00 minimum wage in Alameda County. To date, ICA has graduated 173 companies from the Accelerator and the Lab. ICA is looking forward to supporting this latest cohort in becoming investment-ready and furthering their impact on the Bay Area community.

ICA Fund: Building an economy that works for all.

ICA Fund accelerates great businesses through mentoring and investments to catalyze value in local markets and create community wealth. ICA Fund’s impact investing practice creates pathways for businesses to grow through active partnership, personalized advising, and flexible capital. Our approach catalyzes value that mainstream finance misses. In turn, these businesses create more vibrant, resilient communities with local jobs and shared wealth. 

ICA Fund is building the future of investing and proving that backing overlooked entrepreneurs delivers both social and financial returns. Join us.

Interested in applying to ICA Fund's next Accelerator cohort? Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when applications open for 2026.