At Soleran, we utilize our philanthropy, Soleran Cares, to do something simple but powerful: take the resources we’ve been blessed with as a company and put them in the hands of people who really need them. We believe in honoring dignity, independence, and community through self-sustaining job creation.  

One of the most meaningful ways we did that in 2025 was through our continued support of our philanthropy partners, Unbound, Convoy of Hope, Mission Adelante, and Significant Matters. Our funding and direct work with these organizations in different capacities allows us to help entrepreneurs get the funds they need to build a sustainable income and change not only their own lives, but of the community around them. Here are some examples of Soleran Cares in action in 2025.

Unbound’s Small Business Accelerator Program 

Unbound’s Small Business Accelerator (SBA) program is an initiative that helps families facing poverty grow the small businesses they already run, so they can rely less on outside assistance and more on their own talent, drive, and creativity. Unbound’s SBA program is built on a belief we share at Soleran: the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution. Many of the entrepreneurs in the program — most of them women and often mothers — already have a business in motion. What they don’t have is access to capital, equipment, or formal training to take the next step.

Since 2018, the SBA has deployed more than $1 million to help small businesses in marginalized communities expand their offerings, reach more customers, and create sustainable income. Soleran Cares helps fuel that work, and are able to see very real, very human outcomes from it.

Two entrepreneurs in Colombia — Mery in Antioquia and Rosalba in Cartagena — are two of the entrepreneurs Soleran Cares’ funded to get their personal businesses the leg up they needed to go to the next level with their businesses. Below is a look back at what we were able to be part of this year.

Mery: From Hidden Kitchen to Visible Business

Mery has spent years preparing ready-made lunches, juices, and salads for her community in Antioquia, Colombia. But she was limited — cooking on a small stove in a tucked-away space meant low visibility and very little room to grow.

With a Small Business Accelerator grant, she was able to:

• Buy a food cart with a display case, cook-top, and cooler
  
• Add hot dogs and additional salad options to her menu
  
• Purchase supplies and a tent so she could set up outdoors
  
• Position herself in strategic community locations for more foot traffic
  
  

Now, instead of waiting for customers to find her, Mery brings her business to them. She’s more visible, her offerings look more professional, and she’s on a path to securing the permits she needs to operate even more freely in public spaces. Her income hasn’t spiked overnight — and that’s honest, real-world entrepreneurship — but she now has the tools to keep diversifying and attracting new customers. 

Rosalba: A Beauty Entrepreneur Levels Up

On the other side of Colombia, in Cartagena, Rosalba has been providing salon services — hair, nails, treatments — to her neighbors and family for more than 16 years. What she lacked wasn’t talent; it was tools.

With an SBA grant, Rosalba was able to:

• Purchase blow dryers, curling irons, brushes, and a hair-washing station
• Improve the quality and efficiency of her services
  
• Receive training in bookkeeping, marketing, and business administration
• Build a more intentional marketing strategy to reach new clients
  
  

The result? Higher-quality services, better income, and — maybe the most beautiful part — increased self-esteem. Rosalba said the support “made me into an entrepreneur and an artist” and empowered her to provide for her son as head of household. These are the kinds of outcomes Soleran Cares wants to keep investing in.

What This Says About Soleran Cares

This year confirmed a few things for us:

1. Micro-level giving creates macro-level impact. Even a small grant can change the trajectory of someone’s business and life.
   
   
2. Training is as important as money. Both entrepreneurs benefited not just from equipment, but from business skills — financial management, marketing, administration. That’s how you move from surviving to scaling.
   
   
3. Women are economic engines. The SBA program largely serves women — often mothers of Unbound sponsored children — and when they succeed, kids stay in school longer, households stabilize, and communities benefit.
   
   
4. Partnerships multiply what we can do. By partnering with organizations already embedded in communities — like Unbound — Soleran Cares can direct resources where they’re most needed, without reinventing the wheel.
   
   

Serving at Home: Convoy of Hope

Soleran Cares isn’t just about international impact — it’s about showing up in our own backyard, too. This year we were proud to sponsor and participate in Convoy of Hope’s KC Day of Hope, a community event designed to meet practical needs for families across Kansas City. Our team was a part of a welcoming, dignity-first experience — the kind where families can get resources, kids can feel seen, and local organizations can plug in together for the common good.

On top of that, we hosted a Convoy of Hope Service Day where Soleran employees volunteered their time to support Convoy’s ongoing work. For us, that mattered for two reasons:

1. Hands On Work. Giving is powerful, but serving is sticky — it reminds us why we give.
   
2. Value Alignment. Convoy of Hope is community-focused and hope-centered — the kind of partner we like to stand next to.
   
   

Those local service moments rounded out our year of impact: international entrepreneurship, yes — but also local compassion.

Thank You!

To everyone on the Soleran team who liked, shared, donated, or just asked, “How did that project go?” — thank you. Culture is built in small moments, and this year you helped continue to build a culture that looks outward. Most of all, we want Soleran Cares to keep feeling personal. We’re a tech company, yes — but our people care about real people.

Let’s do even more next year. To learn more about Soleran Cares, visit https://www.soleran.com/soleran-cares.

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