Verizon officials say its free small business platform, Digital Ready, has supported more than 600,000 small businesses since its 2020 launch. The company’s goal is to reach 1 million by 2030.
Donna Epps, Verizon’s chief responsibility officer, put that number on the record last Friday in Hoboken, at the Verizon Small Business Super Pitch competition — an event built around the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at MetLife Stadium, but which also served as a showcase for the company’s broader small business push.
“We’re providing actionable, everyday resources like AI skills training, online courses on things like digital marketing strategies and how to protect your IP, and expert coaching, access to capital, and so much more,” Epps told the room.
The World Cup gave that mission a stage and a deadline, Verizon officials said.
Carrie Hughes, Verizon’s Associate Vice President of Social Innovation Programs and Operations, told a group of 150 or so that the company started preparing small businesses for the tournament’s economic ripple effects more than a year ago — running in-person events in host communities and posting free workshops and networking sessions to the Digital Ready platform, open to any business in the country.
The training wasn’t generic.
Hughes, speaking during a panel discussion, said the World Cup provided a real-time case study built around a specific challenge: How does a small business capture a surge of visitors it doesn’t normally see?
“You’re going to be marketing to visitors that might not normally be customers you’re used to serving — how do you do that effectively?” she started. “How do you make sure your supply chain is ready for increased volumes? How do you win the contract when it comes to your town?
“We’ve served thousands of small businesses and hopefully really helped them get prepared.”
The event has passed, but Verizon officials say the push around the Digital Ready initiative is still going strong — and continually being updated to meet present-day needs.
Verizon is getting more specific about artificial intelligence. Hughes said the company is launching a new AI accelerator — a 12-week intensive available to select small businesses that pairs them with expert coaching and mentoring, with the goal of walking out with at least one AI-enabled workflow already built into the business.
The event showed others agree that small business support belongs in the same conversation as national economic policy.
At least that was the take of U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D, 8th District). He told the audience that supporting small businesses is central to his committee work in Washington.
“We know these are difficult economic times, but we want to encourage people to start small businesses, to have compassion, to lead and to grow in our communities, because we know that small businesses hire from our communities (and) invest back in our communities,” he said.
“I serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where a lot of the issues that impact small businesses — whether it’s communications and technology or energy policy — really impact your day-to-day and your bottom line.”
The Super Pitch competition itself showed the depth and dreams of the small business community. It drew more than 500 entrants and narrowed to 20 semifinalists across four host cities: Kansas City, Houston, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Four finalists pitched in Hoboken last Friday for a grand prize of $20,000.
Elizabeth Benditt of The Balm Box, a service that helps cancer patients, won the competition. Marlie and Anthony Love of TWB Tours placed second, worth $10,000, and Amanda Perna of The House of Perna and Melissa Brown of Renewed Focus Psychology were runners-up at $5,000 each.
All four will receive one-on-one AI mentorship — and tickets to the World Cup final.
It was a nice capper to the event, but just another step in Verizon’s decade-long effort to assist the small business community, Hughes said.
“We know this is a long journey for businesses,” she said. “Many businesses still fail over the long term, and you have to have sustainable tools and resources.
“We’re always scanning the market to see what tools and resources (businesses need). Right now, we’re doubling down on AI.
“If you are a small business and you have not visited Digital Ready, please do — we’ll be there for you for the long term.”
