Reflections on Black Business Month and Social Capital
As Black Business Month comes to a close, I was struck by a recent comment from an African American student in dermatology who shared how our training reshaped her professional path. Her words reminded me of both the privilege and the challenge of leading a Black-owned business committed to changing lives through social capital.
Our Mission at Social Capital Builders
At Social Capital Builders, we’ve trained more than 5,000 people: youth, adults, job seekers, formerly incarcerated individuals, and entrepreneurs. What sets us apart isn’t just content; it’s compassion, competence, and dedication. We understand the science of social networks and we teach people how to build, measure, and maintain the authentic relationships that create opportunity and access for all.
The Investment Gap
And yet, the investment still doesn’t follow. As a Black-owned organization, we are too often undervalued and overlooked, just like many of the populations we serve. Meanwhile, large firms repackage old ideas: mentoring programs with new branding, or even AI chatbots masquerading as “social capital.” But let’s be clear: real social capital building equips people with the power to identify, reconnect, and engage with the individuals, organizations, and institutions that can transform their lives. When done right, they will never need a mentoring program again because they’ll have the lifelong capacity to sustain opportunity on their own.
The Stakes of Networking
The stakes are enormous. Across innovation hubs and workforce programs, the focus remains on “networking events.” But the opportunity cost of networking is lost social capital. Telling people to collect business cards while ignoring the relationships already within their reach sets them up to fail. Social network analysis reveals that most people are already just one or two steps away from the opportunities they seek, yet without strategies, practice, and support, they never learn how to activate those ties. Organizations that push networking without teaching the science of relationships are not helping; they are undermining.
The Irony of Funding
The irony is staggering: Black founders receive only about 1% of venture capital in tech and just 0.1% in clean energy, while Black-owned businesses overall secure under 2% of total VC funding. Instead, most rely on their families, friends, and personal networks to build their businesses—all proof that social capital, not venture capital, has been their true engine of survival and success. Yet we continue to waste time on superficial fixes instead of investing in the strategies that strengthen these essential social capital relationships.
Lessons from Successful Leaders
Think about it: Bill Gates didn’t build Microsoft at a networking event. Elon Musk didn’t launch Tesla at a networking event. Donald Trump didn’t scale his empire at a networking event. They leveraged social capital — their strong and strategic ties, not superficial exchanges. If we are serious about building real opportunity, innovation hubs and workforce development programs must stop promoting shallow networking and start investing in true social capital.
Social Capital is Collective
And social capital isn’t just individual, it’s collective. In our current work with families, we see that when parents and children come together, they uncover the rich connections already sitting in their networks. These are the ties that can change a young person’s future. But too many of those connections remain untapped, wasted.
The Need for Systems Change
And here’s the deeper truth: training alone isn’t enough. Social capital building requires systems reform, policies, procedures, and organizational practices that allow people to sustain and grow quality connections over time. Organizations must invest not only in instruction, but in building the conditions where social capital can thrive.
The Cost of Ignoring Social Capital
- Too many entrepreneurs with talent and vision are denied funding—not for lack of skill, but for lack of the right relationships.
- Too many students graduate from college only to find themselves locked out of careers in their chosen fields.
- Too many young people complete workforce development programs, only to land in jobs they could have found without them.
Our Purpose
This is why Social Capital Builders exists: to move beyond buzzwords, beyond networking, beyond superficial fixes and into the heart of what truly creates opportunity.
A Call to Action
It’s time for funders, policymakers, and institutions to recognize this simple fact: social capital is the missing key. Without it, we will continue wasting talent, resources, and potential. With it, we can transform entire communities.
Now is the time to act. Real investment in social capital is real investment in people, in futures, and in progress that lasts.
Because when we invest in authentic interaction, we invest in lasting change.