Travis County Taps PeopleFund to Lead TCTX Thrive 3.0 for Small Businesses

PR Newswire

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 8, 2025

The program's third iteration expands training and capital access countywide.

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Travis County's new small business support program is designed to provide comprehensive training, coaching, and increased access to capital. This initiative aims to respond to negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath by strengthening small business practices, resiliency and sustainable growth. This program is open to small businesses in Travis County outside of the Austin City limits.

"With TCTX Thrive 3.0, Travis County is committed to empowering entrepreneurs throughout the county." said Travis County Precinct Four Commissioner Margaret Gómez. "TCTX Thrive 3.0 focuses on basic business training, access to capital and ownership transition."

Starting August 5, 2025, small business owners can access the resources made available by Travis County through TCTX Thrive 3.0. Eligible participants will have the opportunity to participate in PeopleFund's BIPOC Small Business Accelerator and Military Connected Small Business Accelerator. Both accelerators are open to people from all backgrounds regardless of gender, race or creed. Graduates of the accelerators receive a small business loan and a grant in addition to free after care for three years.

"We are honored to partner with Travis County in this initiative. The pandemic hit many businesses hard, especially small ones, which often face greater credit challenges and were financially fragile even before the crisis" said Gustavo Lasala, President and CEO of PeopleFund. "TCTX Thrive 3.0 paves the way for small businesses to expand, generate employment, and strengthen Travis County's economic health."

For the delivery of Education services through this program PeopleFund is partnering with Roads Consulting Group, a firm that specializes in providing comprehensive consulting services to small businesses, particularly those in underserved communities.

"Supporting small businesses is essential to building resilient communities." Said Dr. Jose Perez, CEO of Roads Consulting Group. "Roads Consulting Group is proud to partner with PeopleFund and Travis County to provide tailored guidance and resources that help entrepreneurs overcome challenges and unlock their full potential."

Businesses interested in this program please apply here.

Questions? Find additional information about TCTX 3.0 here and here.

About Travis County TCTX Thrive 3.0

Travis County Commissioners Court approved the investment of $2.5 million to create the TCTX Thrive 3.0 Small Business Support Program. The program extends previous small business investments funded through two rounds of federal COVID related assistance and responds to longer-term needs expressed by small businesses to become more resilient. The program provides business training and coaching programs that will help small businesses develop and improve basic business practices, prepare for accessing capital, and plan for and navigate ownership transition. The program aims to eliminate barriers to participation and help 450 businesses complete a core business design/operation, graduate 70 business owners from PeopleFund Small Business Accelerators, and deploy $1.75 million in Loan Capital and $350,000 in grants within two years.

About PeopleFund

PeopleFund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to providing affordable loans and business advisory services to underserved entrepreneurs in Texas. Since 1994, PeopleFund has delivered over $250 million in financial assistance to close to 6,000 small businesses, that helped create or retain more than 25,000 jobs. The cumulative direct impact of PeopleFund on the Texas economy has surpassed $1.2 billion.

About Roads Consulting Group

Roads Consulting Group is a minority-owned business strategy firm dedicated to supporting small businesses and underserved entrepreneurs, primarily in New England. Since its founding in 2017, the firm has expanded nationally and assisted over 1,200 small businesses by providing tailored consulting services, including business strategy, digital marketing, and financial guidance.

Contact Information

Travis County:
Amy McWhorter, Managing Director, Economic and Strategic Planning,
Amy.Mcwhorter@traviscountytx.gov

PeopleFund:
Jenny Palecek, SVP. Philanthropic Relations
JPalecek@peoplefund.org

Roads Consulting Group
Carlos Quintanilla, Small Business Consultant
carlos.quintanilla@roadscg.com