$1.2M
Growth capital secured
Success story · Birmingham cohort
CJ's Ventures
Waste management, infrastructure, demolition & fiber
A fast-growing waste and infrastructure firm secured $1.2M in capital and scaled to multi-state operations.
Clinton Harris III · Principal
Where they started
Growing fast but growing without a plan — limited experience with banks and investors, limited capital networks, and founder dynamics clouding roles.
What changed
The outcomes after twelve weeks.
2 → 8
Trucks in fleet
50 → 300+
Dumpster inventory
3
States of operation (AL, GA, MS)
The story.
The minority-owned services firm secured $1.2M in growth capital from multiple competing proposals, expanded from one landfill site to two, and now runs multi-state infrastructure projects across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.
Operations matured alongside the balance sheet: multiple crews, GPS tracking, onboard cameras, OSHA certifications, and a field safety program.
We were having growing pains, and I knew we needed something to help us really get past that threshold. The Capital Collective just showed us the way to navigate.
More success stories.
Different industries, the same playbook: capital, coaching, and the right introductions.
BirminghamBeyond the Middle
Civil & transportation engineering
Sarcor
A civil engineering firm went from the brink of shutting down to $2.3M in new contracts and licensure in six states.
$500K
Growth capital secured
BirminghamBeyond the Middle
Utility services — power & fiber infrastructure
Cahaba Energy Solutions
A newly acquired utility services company tripled revenue to $10M and grew from 10 to 30 full-time employees.
3.3x
Revenue growth ($3M → $10M)
BirminghamBeyond the Middle
Hospitality & artisan bakery
Bandit Pâtisserie & La Fête
An accomplished Birmingham restaurateur scaling her pâtisserie and café — and pursuing a downtown boutique-hotel concept.
~3x
Sales revenue growth
RichmondBeyond the Million
Retail bakery — hand pies
Proper Pie Co.
A 13-year, fiercely independent pie shop with a loyal following, retooling production and opening paths to distribution.
15%
Revenue growth, year over year
RichmondBeyond the Million
Wine & specialty beverage
Shoe Crazy Wines & Spirits
An award-winning beverage brand that closed a transformative acquisition to vertically integrate and scale.
Acquired
Production facility — deal closed