Black Squirrel is a Philadelphia based financial technology and advisory company working to expand access to capital for small and medium-sized businesses. Through its proprietary platform, BizScoreLine, the company provides business owners with the tools and insights needed to better understand their financial health, strengthen core operations, and become more prepared to access financing.
The company operates at the intersection of financial readiness, technical assistance, and ecosystem development. Rather than focusing solely on connecting businesses to capital, Black Squirrel addresses the underlying gaps that often prevent entrepreneurs from securing funding in the first place. By combining data-driven assessments with hands-on support and partnerships, the company is helping to build more resilient businesses and more inclusive local economies.
The Black Squirrel Origin Story
Black Squirrel was founded by Kevin Williams after decades of working with small businesses and technology companies through his firm, SMART Group. Over time, he began to notice a consistent pattern. Many Black and Brown entrepreneurs with strong businesses were still unable to access the funding they needed to grow.
In pitch rooms, he saw disparities in how capital was distributed. In private conversations, founders shared similar experiences of being overlooked or underfunded. The data reflected what he was seeing firsthand.
Rather than accept this as a structural reality, Kevin set out to build something different. Alongside partners James Burnett and Thomas Webster, he launched Black Squirrel as a way to connect businesses with the resources, relationships, and capital pathways they needed to move forward.
The company began taking shape in 2019 and accelerated in 2020, as the combined impacts of COVID-19, economic uncertainty, and social unrest exposed and intensified existing inequities. The founding team, drawing on backgrounds in technology, finance, and community development, saw an opportunity to support businesses from within the communities they aimed to serve.
How Black Squirrel Is Making A Positive Impact
Black Squirrel’s impact is centered on improving financial readiness and access to capital for underserved businesses. Through BizScoreLine, the company evaluates key areas of business infrastructure, including strategy, technology systems, digital marketing capability, and financial management.
This approach gives business owners a clearer understanding of where they stand and what needs to improve, helping them make more informed decisions and engage more effectively with lenders and investors. By focusing on readiness, Black Squirrel helps businesses move from being overlooked to being viable candidates for financing.
Beyond the platform, the company works within local ecosystems to support community wealth building. Its PHILLY RISE Accelerator is one example, providing Black and Brown real estate developers with training, mentorship, access to capital, and pathways to land ownership. The program is designed to increase participation in the real estate economy while supporting more equitable development within local communities.
Why the UnTours Foundation Invested in Black Squirrel
The UnTours Foundation invested in Black Squirrel because of its focus on addressing a structural barrier in the small business landscape: access to appropriate, affordable capital.
Through BizScoreLine and its broader ecosystem approach, Black Squirrel is building practical infrastructure that helps entrepreneurs understand their financial position and take meaningful steps toward becoming investment-ready. This aligns with the Foundation’s approach of supporting businesses that expand economic participation and strengthen local economies.
By supporting Black Squirrel, the Foundation is contributing to a model that combines financial tools, technical assistance, and community-based partnerships to create more durable and inclusive pathways to business growth.
How You Can Support Black Squirrel
Black Squirrel’s work is rooted in collaboration across financial institutions, ecosystem partners, and community-based organizations. Support can take several forms, including partnerships with lenders, CDFIs, and economic development organizations interested in strengthening small business pipelines. Organizations can also engage by integrating BizScoreLine into their programming to better assess and support the businesses they serve.
