SALEM, Ore. — A new small-business accelerator in the Salem-Keizer area is helping first-time founders turn ideas into viable companies, backed by a three-way partnership between WaFd Bank, the Keizer Chamber of Commerce and financial technology firm FINSYNC.
Four entrepreneurs recently completed the 10-week CO.STARTERS business training program, graduating in October with written plans, financial tools and a small peer network they can lean on as they launch or grow their ventures. Over the course of the program, participants explored accounting, marketing, business planning and even the question of whether owning a business was truly the right path for them.
One of the first local graduates is Mayra Rosales, who wants to build a bilingual consulting firm but knew she needed more structure before stepping fully into entrepreneurship. “It gave me that push that I needed,” said Rosales, founder of Mayra’s Consulting LLC. “I learned new tools and strategies each week to make my business idea come to life.”
CO.STARTERS is FINSYNC’s flagship accelerator program, sponsored by WaFd Bank and designed to be delivered through community partners such as chambers of commerce. In Salem-Keizer, WaFd’s local team worked with the Keizer Chamber to recruit participants and provide a facilitator, while FINSYNC supplied the curriculum and supporting technology.
The course encourages participants to think like entrepreneurs, testing their ideas in a structured way before investing significant time or money. Through weekly sessions, the group walks through how to refine a business model, understand cash flow, identify customers and communicate a clear value proposition — steps that can be especially helpful for first-time business owners juggling day jobs and family responsibilities.
“CO.STARTERS is about helping people think like entrepreneurs,” said Brooke Herbert, branch manager at WaFd Bank in Salem. “WaFd Bank is proud to sponsor programs that give individuals the skills and support they need to build successful businesses and strengthen their local economies.”
Herbert said she hopes WaFd Bank will be able to offer another CO.STARTERS cohort next year, this time in Spanish, to reach even more entrepreneurs in the region’s bilingual and Spanish-speaking communities.
Behind the scenes, the program also connects participants to FINSYNC’s broader platform, which brings together banking, payments, cash flow, accounting, payroll and funding in one place. That back-office support is intended to help new founders move from an idea on paper to an operation that can handle invoices, payroll and future growth.
WaFd Bank, a regional institution established in 1917 and headquartered in Seattle, operates more than 200 branches across nine western states, including Oregon. Through partnerships like CO.STARTERS, the bank aims to pair its traditional lending and deposit services with hands-on education and community-based support.
For Salem and Keizer, that means a small but growing group of entrepreneurs leaving the classroom with business plans, practical tools and a clearer sense of whether business ownership fits their goals. If future English and Spanish-language cohorts move forward, organizers say the accelerator could become a regular on-ramp for local residents who are ready to test and launch their ideas close to home.
