SURE History

Charting the Course: A Brief History of SURE and the Dakri Center

SURE Program at the C. T. Bauer College of Business
SURE Program at the C. T. Bauer College of Business
  • 2013: Dr. Saleha Khumawala pioneered a centralized hub for a project based (dynamic microfinance) experiential learning for our students and community outreach at the University of Houston, Bauer College of Business.
  • 2016: The vision evolved. Dr. Khumawala's initiative took a broader stride, rebranding as the SURE Program — Stimulating Urban Renewal through Entrepreneurship, with students developing the human centric skills by encompassing larger businesses and passionate entrepreneurs.
  • 2022: A monumental leap. After catalyzing the growth of nearly 1,200 Houston-area businesses and enlightening approximately 2,200 budding entrepreneurs, the Dakri family amplified our mission, endowing the Center for Economic Inclusion.

Envisioning Tomorrow: The Big Goals of the Dakri Center

Eradication of Poverty Through Microfinance: Muhammad Yunus (right), won Nobel Peace prize with Microfinance in 2006.
Eradication of Poverty Through Microfinance: Muhammad Yunus (right), won Nobel Peace prize with Microfinance in 2006.
  • Through a series of experiential education programs and collaborations with public and private entities, we aim to craft the nation's most robust and equitable small business ecosystem.
  • Positioned at the crossroads of experiential learning, economic inclusion, and business genesis, our aspiration is global recognition through groundbreaking research.
  • We're on a mission to inspire educators at other colleges and universities then train them to build their own branded SURE Programs in their institutions.

The SURE Program was launched in Fall 2012 with a mission to enable economic stimulation by serving aspiring local entrepreneurs from underserved communities and Veterans in the Houston area. The SURE Program provides FREE financial and business education, ongoing business consulting and prepares entrepreneurs to access capital.

SURE™ Program Honors & Awards: Higher Ed Community Impact Award, Texas Governor Abbott’s Volunteer Awards.
SURE™ Program Honors & Awards: Higher Ed Community Impact Award, Texas Governor Abbott’s Volunteer Awards.

While the SURE Program has supported microfinance efforts in Africa, India, Mexico and China, Robert Grinaker Professor of Accounting and SURE Founding Director Saleha Khumawala has recognized that there is a need here in the Houston area. Almost 20 percent of Houstonians live in areas designated as high poverty neighborhoods and over nine percent live on less than $2.00 per day.

Housed at the Bauer College of Business, the SURE Program offers education modules and mentorship for businesses in their beginning stages of development. By partnering Bauer business students with aspiring entrepreneurs, the program has developed a unique model of experiential learning. It consists of three active components: SURE Entrepreneur, SURE Boot Camp for Veterans and SURE Incubator.

The SURE Program offers the 13-week class twice a year (Spring and Fall), which were formerly housed in local community centers, including:

  • Mission Milby
  • Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
  • Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center
  • Independence Heights Neighborhood Center
  • Leonell Castillo Neighborhood Center
  • Ripley House Neighborhood Center

Due to the rising demand and success of the SURE Program, we moved to the University of Houston to accommodate the increased number of participants. Since its inception, the SURE Program has educated and trained over 1,500 entrepreneurs.