WHO WE SERVE
The U.S. Small Business Administration defines minorities as those who are "socially or economically disadvantaged".
Groups which are considered to be socially disadvantaged include: Black Americans; Hispanic Americans; Native Americans (American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts, or Native Hawaiians); Asian Pacific Americans (persons with origins from Japan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Samoa, Guam, U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Northern Marianna Islands, Laos, Cambodia or Taiwan); and Subcontinent Asian Americans. In most cases, being a woman does not by itself qualify as minority status.
Economic disadvantage has to do with the barriers that social disadvantage has placed in the way of an individual's participation in business and employment.
Since its founding MEDA has served more than 18,000 existing and potential entrepreneurs. MEDA has helped launch more than 460 businesses in a variety of industries.
Each year MEDA serves about 600 entrepreneurs of color.