Majira Project
Powered by The Boston Consulting Group and Msaada Partners
The Majira Project matches post-accelerator companies serving underserved communities with pro bono consultants from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), while Msaada Partners provides business coaching and mentoring in series and parallel with the approximately 16-week BCG engagement. Majira is Swahili for summer, so in a nod to the growing season, we help these entrepreneurs and companies grow. The Majira project kicked off in 2016.
The deadline for applications and nominations for the 2020-2021 cohort was August 17, 2020 at www.majiraproject.org.
Participating and alumni cohort companies are below:
BeautyLynk
2016 Cohort
BeautyLynk is a platform providing on-demand, in-home beauty treatment services by connecting professionals to clients.
Cero
2016 Cohort
CERO helps large producers divert food waste responsibly and easily by collecting inedible food waste and composting it to make rich new soil.
Code Wiz
2017 Cohort
Code Wiz is a top rated coding and robotics school with locations in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
CrimsonBikes
2017 Cohort
CrimsonBikes operates a bike shop in Cambridge, MA that offers the highest quality bikes and services to the Boston area for a fraction of the price you'd pay elsewhere.
CrossFit Boston Iron & Grit
2018 Cohort
CrossFit Boston Iron & Grit is a CrossFit fitness facility aimed at helping people from a range of ages, abilities and diverse backgrounds. Unlike many training regimens, CrossFit offers constant variety, testing both mental and physical strength, endurance and capacity. A central part of their mission is building a community of like-minded people to help provide opportunities for at-risk youth to train.
Democracy Brewing
2017 Cohort
Democracy Brewing is a worker-owned brewery and pub committed to making great beers and supporting the community whose mission is to recreate the traditional public house and brew the best beer in Boston.
EatWell Meal Kits
2019 Cohort
EatWell makes healthy eating more available to families and seniors in food insecure communities with affordable, nutritious meal kits.
Enlivity
2018 Cohort
Enlivity is a startup in the field of cancer supportive care. Enlivity's products help patients to manage the side effects of their cancer treatments, to help them to complete their treatments, minimize clinical complications and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
Food for All
2017 Cohort
Food for All is an app that allows people to buy food that restaurants would not sell by the end of the day and would otherwise be wasted at prices of 50 to 80% off.
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Forefront
2018 Cohort
Forefront helps companies accelerate culture change and develop 21st Century talent that is equipped to meet the demands of the future of work. Forefront has a suite of in-person training and leadership programs that are customized for each client and range in time, length, and format.
Fresh Food Generation
2016 Cohort
Fresh Food Generation has catering, cafe, and food truck businesses that provide quick and easy on-the-go food options that are healthy alternatives to over-processed foods sold at corner stores and fast food chains.
Include
2018 Cohort
IncluDe is a web development company that helps corporations, nonprofits and small business craft a compelling and strategic online presence.
Kréyol
2016 Cohort
KRÉYOL is a fashion design company that aims to enlighten, educate, and empower by using fashion to increase awareness of social causes affecting people domestically and abroad.
LaborX
2018 Cohort
LaborX is the LinkedIn for the LinkedOut, a talent marketplace matching low opportunity, high potential graduates from alternative education programs such as bootcamps, apprenticeships, vocational, and community colleges to living wage jobs to living wage jobs.
LoveJoy
2019 Cohort
LoveJoy is developing apparel for curvy shaped bodies.
Makomas
2019 Cohort
Bottled health drink line featuring baobab, moringa, and other clean ingredients.
MathTalk
2017 Cohort
MathTalk is a math instruction app developed by a community-based educational technology lab located in Boston focusing on the research and design of early math products and services for parents, caregivers, teachers, and children.
Munchiees
2017 Cohort
Munchiees is a real-time scheduling, tracking, and delivery app for purchases from local merchants with a beachhead market of underserved neighborhoods in the Boston area.
Percival Brewing Company
2016 Cohort
Percival Brewing Company brews and self-distributes craft beer brands that are designed to appeal to commercial beer consumers who have yet to experience the craft beer trend.
Quality Interactions
2019 Cohort
A tech-enabled educational platform for cultural competency training for healthcare professionals to improve patient experience and health outcomes and reduce costs and risks.
Spoiler Alert
2017 Cohort
Spoiler Alert helps the world’s largest food businesses manage unsold inventory through its software that tracks and analyzes their products, and provides a marketplace that facilitates food donations, discounted sales, and organic waste recovery opportunities.
Tails
2019 Cohort
Doggie daycare, boarding, walking, and grooming.
Tech Connection
2016 Cohort
Tech Connection connects minority tech talent from high tech hubs across the United States and beyond to workforce opportunities.
Vinylmint
2017 Cohort
Vinylmint is a non-union, freelance sound marketplace for voice actors, musicians, and translators to sell their sounds to ad agencies, music publishers, and game developers.
Whipped
2018 Cohort
Whipped Urban Cupcake Co. specializes in mini designer cupcakes free of all artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
Zainab Sumu Primitive Modern
2019 Cohort
Art (sculptural & wearables), scarves, and apparel.
Majira Project FAQ
Why was the Majira Project created?
While there are many opportunities for companies to receive guidance and mentorship during second stage growth and via pre-accelerators, accelerators, and incubators across the city, we aim to fill a gap for post-accelerator/ incubator stage companies as many of them do not have continuing mentorship. We aim to help them achieve first stage growth, while at the same time building a community with their cohort members.
Who is the Majira Project for?
The Majira Project is ideal for small to mid-sized growth companies that are looking for ways to take their business to the next level. The selected cohort works directly with consultants from BCG and Msaada Partners throughout the formal 16-week engagement. There is a focus on companies led by founders of color and/or targeting underserved communities. The selected cohort also includes and is committed to peer mentoring companies in earlier stages of their entrepreneurial journey.
What does the Majira Project include?
The selected cohort receives business growth coaching in key areas selected by the company owner(s) including strategy, marketing, sales, pricing, and operations. The cohort works directly with a dedicated team of consultants focused on providing their expertise for stabilizing, strengthening, and growing the businesses. There are also monthly interactive working sessions for the cohort teams so they can network, hear from practitioners, and share lessons learned and best practices.