Who we are
About Ascend Long Island
Ascend Long Island was founded with a clear mission: to help local businesses grow by providing a tailored approach that maximizes unique opportunities in our community. Through our exclusive partnership with the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University, we provide businesses with direct access to academic expertise, professional resources, and school leadership. We drive this growth by focusing on the 3 Ms—providing the Management incubation, Market networking, and Money through seed capital and credit products that businesses need to thrive.
Today, we serve as a strategic bridge for MWBEs, local developers, and established businesses generating over $400,000 in revenue who are ready to scale. We take our members from navigating local hurdles to confidently bidding for—and winning—more competitive contracts. By combining the professional prestige of Hofstra with a genuine, approachable commitment to our partners, we are accelerating business and job growth to secure a stronger economic future for Long Island.
What we do
Ascend improves Management skills, increases access to Money, and grows Market connections in a tailored approach to maximize the unique opportunities that businesses have in cities across the US through a customized approach to accelerate business and job growth.
The Ascend Long Island Program is housed at the ideaHUB at Hofstra University. This unique program has an individualized focus on helping local minority-owned firms solve unique problems that they may encounter and produce measurable growth opportunities.
We are proud to be a contributing partner at Ascend Cities.
Our Mission
Empowering local businesses through the '3 Ms'—Management, Market, and Money—to accelerate sustainable growth and job creation.
Our Vision
To become the premier catalyst for urban business success, transforming local economies by maximizing unique opportunities for every entrepreneur we serve.
What Ascend Involves
There is no charge for admission to the programs. However, applicants must demonstrate competence and promise through a competitive application and interview process.
- Businesses that will benefit most will earn $200,000–$3 million who are looking to grow above $10 million in the next few years.
- Ascend Long Island focuses on businesses that target sales into B2B environments in:
Construction & Construction-Related Services
Professional Services
Commodities, Supplies & Distribution
Green & Renewable Energy
HealthCare Industry
Food Services Industry
- Participants should be located or do business in Long Island or the greater metropolitan area.
The goal of the Ascend Long Island Cohort is to promote leadership teams rather than individual development. The candidate’s CEO plus up to 2 other senior people in their business are responsible for creating a growth plan and implementing action items to achieve that plan.
They will be prepared to attend the entire length of the program and complete each of the sessions. There is an expectation that companies in the program will display entrepreneurial spirit which is recognizable and coachable. An individual interview is required.
Each business accepted to the program is connected to a “Hub” institution that delivers customized programming, coaching, mentoring, and business-oriented curriculum in a collaborative environment. Our “Hub” is the ideaHUB located on the campus of Hofstra University.
The CEO and/or two other senior leaders from each business will attend regular program sessions. Businesses will work with coaches, mentors, and subject matter experts and participate in in-person or remote programming involving faculty, business owners, and government agencies. These sessions are designed to encourage collaboration and drive organizational improvement and leadership team growth.
The senior leaders responsible for driving results to solve self-identified problems and create an approach will provide support in building 3M solutions to accelerate growth in:
- Management: Incubation and acceleration
- Market: Networking, partnerships, and pipeline access
- Money: Access to early-stage growth capital and flexible credit products
Our Goal
INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LONG ISLAND BUSINESSES
Ascend’s proven 3-M Model equips entrepreneurs with the capabilities needed to grow sustainably in a competitive regional market.
Management
Strengthen leadership, operations, staffing, compliance, and systems — essential for scaling in Long Island’s regulated, procurement-driven environment.
Market
Understand Long Island’s anchor-driven economy, identify high-value opportunities, and position your business to compete in sectors such as construction, healthcare, education, transportation, and municipal services.
Money
Improve financial literacy, capital readiness, and access to funding — including CDFI financing, working capital, and growth capital aligned with anchor-contract requirements.
Developed by the University of Washington Foster School of Business, the 3-M framework is the backbone of Ascend’s approach.
Testimonials
Hear directly from local business owners and regional partners on how Ascend Long Island drives measurable growth and supply chain opportunities.
“Ascend offered much more than business education. It gave me access to people, resources, mentorship, and a community of entrepreneurs who understood both the excitement and the challenges of building a business.”
Janna Rodriguez
Founder / The Innovative Daycare Corp (IDC)
"The guidance, encouragement, and introductions we received have made a lasting difference in our company’s journey. We were able to expand from private-sector work into public-sector projects and achieve a 100% increase in sales over the past 12 months."
Stefano Modugno
Zephyr Interiors
Our Team
Leadership
We guarantee that through our tailored "3 Ms" approach and institutional partnership, your business will move from a dormant online presence to being fully prepared to bid for competitive contracts with primes and developers within your first 6 months. We are committed to ensuring you have the strategic visibility and management foundation needed to secure a seat at the table.
![[12] wanda almonte-williams 2 (1)](https://ascendlongisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/12-wanda-almonte-williams-2-1-240x300.jpg)
Our Team
Leadership
We guarantee that through our tailored "3 Ms" approach and institutional partnership, your business will move from a dormant online presence to being fully prepared to bid for competitive contracts with primes and developers within your first 6 months. We are committed to ensuring you have the strategic visibility and management foundation needed to secure a seat at the table.
Interviews
What does meaningful business support look like in action?
In this inside look at Ascend Long Island, Jea Edman sits down with Wanda Almonte-Williams, MBA, Program Director of Ascend Long Island, and business leaders Annemarie DiSalvo of DiSalvo Interiors and Raza Manji of Visual Citi Inc.
Annemarie, a member of the Ascend/BGA 3.0 Cohort 2025, and Raza, a member of the Ascend Cohort 2024, share how the program has provided valuable connections, access to decision-makers, and insight into new business opportunities.
At Ascend Long Island, we help entrepreneurs build the relationships and resources needed to move their businesses forward.
Our Partners
WE PARTNER FOR YOUR GROWTH
Ascend partners are organizations which provide the resources and market access you need to grow your business
