Vivid Digital Classroom offers online courses on a variety of business topics in English and Spanish
RALEIGH — Carolina Small Business Development Fund (CSBDF) has announced the launch of its new online learning platform, Vivid Digital Classroom, to provide North Carolina’s entrepreneurs with technical assistance through free courses from expert practitioners on a range of small business topics.
Through a host of partnerships with financial institutions, industry leaders, and business development experts, Vivid provides educational opportunities to help small business owners enhance their skills on their own schedule. Vivid offers online courses in both English and Spanish, with customizable user interfaces for clients in both languages. Vivid will officially launch at vividclassroom.org on May 13, 2024.
“As one of the three pillars of our mission as an organization, we take pride in providing small business owners and entrepreneurs with meaningful technical assistance,” said CSBDF President and CEO Kevin Dick. “With Vivid Digital Classroom, we can reach so many entrepreneurs, in both English and Spanish, and help guide them through the hurdles of small business ownership. This online tool helps us to light the way with knowledge capital for North Carolina’s small business ecosystem.”
Prior to the launch of Vivid Digital Classroom, CSBDF provided online technical assistance through its Digital Learning Academy, which has been fully migrated to Vivid. The rebranding serves as a catalyst for growth of the program for CSBDF, as CSBDF holds ownership of the domain, vividclassroom.org, and trademark for the program.
At launch, Vivid will host more than 85 courses on business operations and strategy, marketing and branding, disaster resilience, leadership and human resources, capital and financial management, and more. In addition to its English course offerings, Vivid has 20 courses available in Spanish.
Vivid Digital Classroom is made possible by key financial supporters who have invested in North Carolina’s community of entrepreneurs through the program. Wells Fargo serves as the Title Sponsor for Vivid for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
“Our support for CSBDF and the launch of their Vivid Digital Classroom is part of Wells Fargo’s broader commitment as the Bank of Doing,” said Suzie Koonce, Community Relations Lead Consultant for Wells Fargo. “From making financial education more accessible and housing more attainable, to empowering diverse small businesses and helping make communities more sustainable, doing makes North Carolina stronger.”
In addition to Wells Fargo, Vivid is supported through sponsorships from Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and SouthState Bank, as well as a generous grant from PNC Foundation, which is helping to make the course content more accessible to all users. It is thanks to the financial support of CSBDF’s partners that Vivid is possible.
“All of us at PNC recognize that small businesses contribute significantly to North Carolina’s economy and quality of life, and we are committed to empowering local entrepreneurs through each phase of a venture’s life cycle,” said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas. “Our support for CSBDF’s Vivid Digital Classroom is one example of how this commitment comes to life in North Carolina, and we are grateful to see banks throughout the region come together to support this important resource.”
Vivid will also allow CSBDF to further forge partnerships with local municipalities on special grant and lending programs. In the past, CSBDF’s Digital Learning Academy has played an integral role in assisting entrepreneurs as part of both Oak City Biz Labs, a grant partnership with the City of Raleigh, and the Charlotte Small Business Ecosystem Grant, a technical assistance program offered by CSBDF and the City of Charlotte.
Users of Vivid Digital Classroom can register for a free account that will track and save their progress on different courses, keep a history of their courses taken, and provide a certificate upon completion of each class taken. Additionally, clients may work with CSBDF to receive a customized list of courses to take based on their personal business situation.
Vivid Digital Classroom was designed, developed, and is hosted by Online Training Concepts in Asheville, NC. Vivid can be accessed online at both vividclassroom.org or carolinasmallbusiness.org/learn-online.
About Carolina Small Business Development Fund (CSBDF) Founded in 1990, Carolina Small Business Development Fund is a nonprofit and certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that fosters economic development in underserved communities through access to capital, technical assistance, and policy research to light the way for small businesses. Since 2010, CSBDF has contributed more than $113.9 million through 1,256 loans and 1,791 grants to dedicated small businesses across North Carolina, helping to create or retain more than 5,100 full-time jobs.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Alec Sawyer
Marketing & Communications Manager, CSBDF
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