Salesforce’s new Supplier Diversity Academy empowers small, diverse businesses to win new contracts with large corporate entities.
Why it matters: A recent survey found that nearly half (46%) of small diverse businesses that generate $1 million in revenue use corporate contracts to fuel their growth strategy. With economic fluctuations and continued challenges for small diverse businesses, programs like the Salesforce Supplier Diversity Academy can be a crucial stepping stone in growing revenue.
Driving the news: Salesforce’s Supplier Diversity Academy is a six-month virtual accelerator program for small businesses that are owned by underrepresented minorities, women, veterans, disabled, or LGBTQ+ individuals. The program’s initial cohort, funded by Salesforce and led by Black- and woman-owned business Systems To Success, will support 40 businesses with a “Procurement-Ready Toolkit” to help position their brands to sell to Salesforce and other multi-billion-dollar companies.
How it works: The program will equip small businesses with tools and techniques to help position their brands to increase opportunities with Salesforce and similar-sized companies, including:
- Expert-led training workshops to hone proposal writing, negotiation, and compliance tailored to Salesforce processes
- A curated resource library providing access to tools, templates, and industry insights to stay informed and competitive
- Direct connections to Salesforce to facilitate networking with decision makers and buyers within the company
- A peer-to-peer network with fellow diverse entrepreneurs for collaboration and support
- A certificate of completion to recognize the business’ expertise and marketability
The Salesforce perspective: “At Salesforce, equality is an imperative. Following the murder of George Floyd, Salesforce made commitments to increase our spend with Black and underrepresented businesses, and our purchasing team has made incredible progress toward those goals,” said Madison Gunter, Vice President of Procurement Programs — Supplier, Governance, & Compliance, Salesforce. “Programs like Supplier Diversity Academy can build capacity for new and existing suppliers, and ultimately lead to more business opportunities for both Salesforce and the diverse businesses in our network.”
Programs like Supplier Diversity Academy can build capacity for new and existing suppliers, and ultimately lead to more business opportunities for both Salesforce and the diverse businesses in our network.
Madison Gunter, Vice President of Procurement Programs — Supplier, Governance, & Compliance, Salesforce
What they’re saying: “Winning contracts with Salesforce has expanded my capabilities as a woman- and minority-owned small business,” said Toni V. Martin, Founder, Systems To Success. “My goal in partnering with Salesforce on this program is to help fellow diverse businesses become aware and prepared to do business with not just Salesforce, but also other corporate giants who are actively seeking to do business with us.”
Explore further:
- Apply to join the program’s first cohort, kicking off in April 2024
- Learn more about Salesforce’s Supplier Diversity Program
