Elsworth Usher and Mustaffa Jenkins – Co-owners
The Digital Service Repair is a Social Enterprise Owned and Managed by its Employees, Bridging the Gap in Digital Tech Services in North Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 17, 2025—City Startup Labs, an organization providing leading-edge skills training, mentorship, career building and community to a new class of justice-impacted entrepreneurs and employees, announces that it has signed a lease to open and operate ReConnex (Reentry Connections). The retail digital device repair business will operate as a worker’s collaborative and will launch at 5430 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28213, located in one of Charlotte’s Corridors of Opportunity.
City Startup Labs (CSL) is expanding its impact through ReConnex, an innovative extension of its ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program (REEP). This new initiative equips justice-impacted individuals with specialized training to provide digital device tech support and customer service. ReConnex employees will also co-own and co-operate this social venture along with CSL.
“ReConnex is more than a new business concept—it’s a bridge to opportunity,” said Henry Rock, Executive Director of City Startup Labs. “By equipping justice-impacted individuals with valuable tech skills and ownership stakes, we’re establishing a cooperative economics model that empowers and rewards individuals by serving the needs of the community.”
In partnership with Omaha-based iFixAmerica (iFA), ReConnex will bring much-needed hyper-local tech support to Charlotte communities lacking access to these essential services. In April, CSL’s team will visit iFA for hands-on tech and store ops training, further strengthening their expertise.
At the intersection of reentry, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility, ReConnex will help to address the digital divide and create wealth opportunities for Charlotte residents. The pilot program is funded by a Digital Champions grant award from the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Office of Digital Opportunity.
“We are greatly appreciative of City Startup Labs’ commitment to creating economic opportunity for justice-affected North Carolinians,” said N.C. Department of Information Technology Deputy Secretary of Broadband and Digital Opportunity Annette Taylor. “With funding from their recent NCDIT Digital Champion grant, City Startup Labs is providing a direct pathway to collaborative digital education and workforce development.”
ReConnex is projected to open in May during Small Business Month. Learn more here.
About
City Startup Labs (CSL) is transforming entrepreneurship and workforce development for formerly incarcerated individuals by equipping them with the skills, support, and opportunities to build businesses and secure careers. Through innovative training, mentorship, and hands-on instruction, CSL promotes economic mobility and community engagement. Its flagship programs include Restorative Pathways, a reentry workplace readiness initiative with “fair chance” employers, and the ReEntry Entrepreneurship Program (REEP), a startup incubator. The newly launched ReConnex program expands on REEP’s mission. Learn more at Citystartuplabs.com.
