Rediet found out about ACCESS through VolunteeMatch in May 2025 when she was searching for meaningful volunteer opportunities with organizations serving entrepreneurs. She supports aspiring entrepreneurs in the ACCESS Business Lab program as a Business Workshop Facilitator specializing in Design Thinking. In this role, through workshops and discussions, she helps entrepreneurs understand and apply Design Thinking as a practical methodology for entrepreneurship, guiding them through processes such as user empathy, problem framing, customer discovery and solution development.

With a background in entrepreneurship, innovation, and human-centered problem solving, Rediet was drawn to ACCESS Community Capital Fund because of its mission to remove barriers to entrepreneurship and create economic opportunities for underserved communities. She wanted to contribute to this mission by sharing her experience in innovation by supporting individuals who may face structural and systemic barriers, but possess strong ideas and entrepreneurial potential. Helping entrepreneurs gain clarity about their customers, strengthen their business concepts, and build confidence in their entrepreneurial journey aligns closely with her professional values and commitment to inclusive innovation.

One of the most rewarding aspects of Rediet’s volunteering with ACCESS has been the opportunity to listen to the diverse entrepreneurial journeys of participants and understand the real challenges that start-ups and small businesses face at different stages of business development. Supporting participants as they refine their understanding of their customers, test their ideas, and move closer toward achieving a strong product-market fit has been both professionally fulfilling and personally inspiring.