Basswood Counsel joins USBC 360° Growth Accelerator as legal partner

Basswood Counsel PLLC has teamed with U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. to serve as the exclusive legal services partner for the current USBC 360° Growth Accelerator cohort. The collaboration gives participating founders pro bono legal education, office hours and group sessions focused on business formation, contracts, compliance and capital raising.

Why it matters: - The partnership gives entrepreneurs in the USBC 360° Growth Accelerator access to legal guidance during a critical growth stage. - The program is aimed at helping founders strengthen the legal and operational foundation of their businesses as they scale. - The effort is especially relevant for founders from underrepresented communities, who can face added barriers when building companies.

What happened: - Basswood Counsel PLLC announced a collaboration with U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. in support of the USBC 360° Growth Accelerator Program. - Basswood Counsel is the exclusive legal services partner for the current USBC 360° cohort. - The announcement was made Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C. - Basswood provided pro bono legal education and office hours for participating founders.

The details: - Basswood hosted one-on-one and small-group legal office hours for founders in the cohort. - The sessions covered business formation and governance, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance and capital-raising considerations. - Basswood also delivered group educational programming coordinated with the USBC 360° curriculum. - The educational sessions were designed to connect legal issues with broader business decisions founders face as their companies develop. - Hazvinei Mugwagwa, Basswood Counsel co-founder, said founders often have to make legal and business decisions while also building products, finding customers, raising capital and managing day-to-day growth. - Jephte Lanthia, Basswood Counsel co-founder, said underrepresented founders often face extra obstacles and need more tools to build lasting businesses.

Between the lines: - The partnership extends Basswood Counsel’s broader work with founders, business owners and executives across the company lifecycle. - Basswood’s stated focus includes formation, governance, commercial growth, financing and other major transactions. - USBC 360° is built for product-based businesses that want to scale by strengthening operational systems, financial clarity and channel strategy. - The accelerator aims to help companies grow through DTC, wholesale, retail and other channels. - The legal education format suggests the two organizations are trying to make legal support more accessible without turning the accelerator into a formal legal service engagement.

What's next: - Basswood and USBC are expected to continue supporting the current accelerator cohort through education and office hours. - The collaboration could serve as a model for future business support partnerships that combine legal training with growth programming. - Basswood’s disclaimer says the sessions provide general legal education and information only.

The bottom line: - Basswood Counsel is using the USBC 360° platform to give founders practical legal support at the moment they need it most, while USBC adds another resource to its growth accelerator.