Nationwide — In August 2026, Phoenix, America’s 5th largest city, will host a landmark event dedicated to celebrating, empowering, and investing in Black business leadership across the state. Arizona Black Entrepreneur Week, presented by Archwood Community Resource Empowerment Strategy, will take place August 2–8, 2026, marking the first annual gathering of its kind in Arizona.
Set against the vibrant skyline of Phoenix, this weeklong experience is more than a conference—it is a movement. Designed to cultivate economic power, innovation, and sustainable success, Arizona Black Entrepreneur Week will bring together entrepreneurs, creatives, investors, professionals, community leaders, and change-makers for a dynamic series of events focused on growth, access, and impact.
Participants can expect a powerful lineup of programming, including:
• Workshops focused on business development, funding access, branding, legal structure, and scaling strategies
• Speaker Series featuring industry leaders, innovators, and community visionaries
• Exclusive Opportunities for networking, partnerships, and investment connections
• A Community Mixer designed to build relationships across industries
• A Business pitch competition that will award the top ideas with real capital
• An Awards Ceremony honoring excellence, leadership, and achievement in Black entrepreneurship
At its core, Arizona Black Entrepreneur Week is about more than business—it’s about building legacy. It is a platform for elevating Black-owned businesses, strengthening community infrastructure, and creating long-term economic pathways that benefit families, neighborhoods, and future generations.
Hosted by Archwood Community Resource Empowerment Strategy (ACRES), the event reflects a broader mission of empowerment through education, access, and strategic resource development. By creating spaces where Black entrepreneurs are centered, supported, and celebrated, ACRES is helping shape a new economic narrative for Arizona—one rooted in ownership, collaboration, and generational wealth.
The team behind ACRES operates a number of businesses in the Phoenix area including the largest Black-owned classic hat company in the country, Straw and Wool Hat Co., Arizona’s only Black-owned bookstore Grassrootz Books and Juice Bar, a 13,000 sqft event space and entrepreneurship center, The Archwood at Eastlake, Stardust and Sage Botanica and Apotheracry, Brownstone Spa, and a nonprofit that has helped scale hundreds of businesses over the past decade.
Whether you’re a startup founder, established business owner, investor, creative, nonprofit leader, or aspiring entrepreneur, Arizona Black Entrepreneur Week offers a space to learn, connect, and grow within a powerful ecosystem of purpose-driven leadership.
This is not just a week of events.
It is the foundation of a statewide movement.
Arizona Black Entrepreneur Week
August 2–8, 2026
ArchwoodExchange.com
Workshops. Speaker Series. Awards Ceremony. Mixer. Exclusive Opportunities. The future of Black entrepreneurship in Arizona begins here.