08/18/2026
In 2022, Adrienne Fudge won a Job Creators Grant for 40 Dreams Catering, a business helping seniors eat well through home-delivered, nutritious meals.
But the grant wasn't the end of her Founders First journey.
It was the beginning.
Adrienne went from the Job Creators Grant to Bootcamp, then one-on-one coaching through Passport Premium, and later FastPath and Zebra Leadership.
At each stage, the challenge changed—and so did the support.
Marketing strategy. Accessing managed care organizations. Building a team. Learning to delegate and lead as the business grew.
Three years later:
→ Revenue increased 45%
→ 10 full-time employees added
→ A new recurring revenue stream created
“Zebra Leadership gave me a new way of looking at how to delegate. I'm learning that there are so many different ways to grow a team, but breaking it down in this format is very helpful.”
— Adrienne Fudge, Founder & CEO, 40 Dreams Catering
Adrienne's journey is a great example of why small-business support can't always be one-and-done.
Entrepreneurs need different resources at different stages of growth.
Across the Founders First CDC community:
→ 7,248 companies served, 97% from historically underinvested communities
→ 66% increased revenue, with an average increase of $328K
→ $2M+ in grants and $300K in prize money awarded across 950+ companies
See what this support is making possible in our Q2 2026 CDC Market Impact Report: https://hubs.la/Q04tt_-f0
