In 2018, Darius relocated to San Diego to serve veteran, active duty, and military spouse business owners in Southern California under Main Street Launch’s program, Veteran Launch. Darius works with The Rosie Network, REBOOT, the Small Business Development Center, the Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, and banking institutions to reach businesses that don’t qualify for conventional financing sources.

Previously, Darius managed the San Francisco Emerging Business Loan Fund (EBLF) and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) for Main Street Launch. He worked side by side with the Mayor’s Office, Office of Economic Workforce Development, and a wide variety of community partners to provide financial and technical assistance to the underserved small businesses located in San Francisco. Under his supervision, Main Street Launch funded 136 businesses, deployed $17.9 million and created 688 full time jobs and retained an additional 426 full time jobs.

Darius brings over a decade of experience in vast industries including textile importing, apparel manufacturing, small business consulting, and marketing. Additionally, he has volunteered for non-profit organizations such as Centro Community Partners and Save the Children. Entrepreneurship runs in Darius’ family which further validates the work he does with Main Street Launch. Darius holds an M.B.A. in Management from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Professional Sales from Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University, Georgia.