AUSTIN, Texas — JUST Fest is a unique event, combining tamales and female empowerment.
A tamales contest was just one part of JUST Fest, a business expo celebrating female entrepreneurs held at the Springdale Station off Springdale Road on Sunday.
The public got to weigh in on the best-tasting tamales made by female entrepreneurs. The expo also featured seminars and female-owned businesses.
JUST is a nonprofit that offers loans to women who have denied by banks in the past. Jewel Crosswell Stone is the director of strategic partnerships for the nonprofit.
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"We provide small loans to women who have been invited to join our program by existing clients who have co-signed their loans as a real extension of their trust in our community," Stone said. "As a result, we're seeing clients lift themselves out of poverty, we're watching them give better lives to their families, grow their businesses in ways that are profound."
One hundred percent of the women who apply for loans are approved but current clients must recommend and co-sign those loans.
So far, JUST has given out $3.5 million in loans to 650 women in Central Texas since it started in 2016. The nonprofit never checks credit scores.
"The idea is these people have been excluded because of their past, and we believe in their future," Stone said.
Bumble Bizz also announced a 750 Fund at the fest, a campaign where the app is helping JUST raise $75,000 in 75 hours to provide 100 entrepreneurs in Austin with their first loans.
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