By Rian Stockett
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The City of Asheville awarded $855,000 in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds to Optimist Ventures, an accelerator for Asheville entrepreneurs affected by Hurricane Helene.
“This award from the city allows us to extend our fund and accelerator program through 2028. Initially, we were funded to wrap up at the end of this year, so we’ll be able to do two more cohorts totaling 40 companies that we can invest in,” said Optimist Ventures CEO Jeffrey Kaplan.
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Dune Pierre Michel, the owner of French Broad Pastry, was in the latest group to go through the 12-week accelerator program, and he says that after Helene, they lost their busiest months and tourism hasn’t fully come back, but he says that thanks to the program, they’ve been able to get by.
“When Helene happened, we didn’t have physical damage here, but the whole town was paralyzed, so we had no more farmers market. We had a little bit of a wholesale, which also slowed down very much, so we had no business,” said Michel.
Asheville grants $855K to business accelerator, extends recovery program through 2028
JUNE 26, 2026 – Pastries at French Broad Pastry in Asheville. (Photo credit: WLOS Staff)
Michel says that through the program, he received a $25,000 grant and a separate investment of $25,000 through shared profit agreements.
He used this funding to purchase a delivery van and a large freezer.
“Since coming into our program, this guy’s doubled in bakery size; he’s up to 25 employees. You see him at every market; he’s expanding markets,” said Kaplan.
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Both investments helped him expand their wholesale program, making them less dependent on farmers markets.
“As the markets are shutting down in the winter, we have just two that are very slow. Being able to have more wholesale customers is allowing me to keep my employees in, to keep some business to survive the winter,” said Michel.
Kaplan says applications for the next group close July 17.