Neutral Ground: Aligning Funding Strategy with a Vision for Growth

The Business
Neutral Ground is an Afro-Creole restaurant concept created by Chef Kenyatta Ashford, an accomplished chef and winner of “Chopped” TV series. Chef Kenyatta is a lifelong student of cooking, specifically studying the cuisine originated from the West African diaspora and its impact on Southern cuisine we know today.

The Challenge
Chef Kenyatta’s goal with Neutral Ground is to open an upscale casual restaurant that would bring a culturally rich dining experience to the Chattanooga community. To make this vision a reality, he needed a funding strategy—not just to secure capital, but to find the right mix of funding sources aligned with his values and long-term goals for the business.

The Approach
We partnered with Chef Kenyatta to provide support in several key business areas, primarily to bring funding strategy to the table. We helped him explore, identify, and pursue a range of strategic capital opportunities, from traditional loans to investors. As part of this process, we helped clean up past financial records to strengthen credibility, facilitated connections with Wefunder for a crowdfunding campaign, and providing hands-on support throughout the capital raise.

In addition, we provided guidance on evaluating potential funding partners, analyzing loan opportunities, and negotiating favorable terms. To this day, we continue to serve as a strategic sounding board and ongoing advisor, providing aligned with the founder’s vision for equitable, community-driven growth.

The Outcome
With community-led capital raise and a better financial strategy, Chef Kenyatta is now in his best position yet to launch Neutral Ground successfuly. Our continued partnership ensures he has the guidance and support needed to sustain growth and stay aligned with the business’s long-term mission.