Andre Peart knew that if he was going to find a path for himself, he was going to have to make it.
After spending five and a half years in prison, Peart was having trouble finding a job because of his felony conviction. “Just to see that I really wasn’t getting any jobs, no matter the education level, I just figured I had to start my own business,” Peart told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In 2021, he launched Untapped Solutions (formerly known as ConConnect), an AI-powered platform to help nonprofits, homeless shelters, employers and mental health agencies with client management. What makes his program unique is that clients can be connected to outside resources like banking, credit repair and health care from the platform. For example, if a person hasn’t seen a doctor in 16 months, Untapped Solutions can help schedule an appointment through one of their health care integrations.
His startup has grown quickly. In February 2022, Peart moved to Atlanta from New York after being accepted into the Cox Enterprises Social Impact Accelerator, powered by Techstars, a prestigious training program for early-stage companies. Cox also owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
After the three-month accelerator was over, Peart decided to stay in Atlanta, drawn in by the culture and support. His company is now headquartered in Midtown.
Last month, Peart was one of only 23 founders in the U.S. (and the only one from Georgia) to be accepted into the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. As part of the six-month program, Peart has access to up to $150,000, Google Cloud resources, mentorship, leadership training and a network of other founders.
By November, Peart says he will have expanded from 15 states to all 50. He is hoping that in the future, Untapped Solutions will be the premier customer relationship management and workforce tool.
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