# ACE

> ACE is a VC fund in Cleveland backing Toys, Children and Non Profit. See 2 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Cleveland, United States
- Total investments: 2
- Last investment: Sep 2021
- Lead investor: 50%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/access-to-capital-for-entrepreneurs/
- X (Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/aceloans
- Website: https://aceloans.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AccesstoCapitalforEntrepreneurs

ACE is a VC fund in Cleveland focused on Toys and Children. ACE provides loans and business consulting services to start and grow sustainable businesses to 68 counties in GA, including metro Atlanta.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for ACE. Shizune tracks 3 team members at ACE. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/appalachian-community-enterprises-inc?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Toys | 1 | 50% |
| Children | 1 | 50% |
| Non Profit | 1 | 50% |
| Publishing | 1 | 50% |
| STEM Education | 1 | 50% |

7 industries tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Grace Fricks | Founder,President and CEO | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/grace-fricks |
| Joshua Brackett | Chief Financial Officer | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/joshua-brackett-6a30 |
| Ray Pennie | Chief of Business Development | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ray-pennie-9056 |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Brown Toy Box Inc. | Brown Toy Box is a an educational toy company centering Black children in play while cultivating curiosity for all kids through cultural representation, purposeful play and STE(A)M exposure. It was founded in 2018 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. | $900K | Debt Financing | Sep 04, 2021 |  |
| First Step Staffing | First Step is committed to providing its employees extensive training, meticulous support, and community reinvestment to provide you with the skilled and qualified employees you need. | $3M | Debt Financing | Nov 18, 2019 |  |

2 of 2 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Atlanta Emerging Markets](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/atlanta-emerging-markets) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [The Reinvestment Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/the-reinvestment-fund) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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## FAQ

### What does ACE invest in?

ACE invests primarily in Toys, Children and Non Profit startups, most often at Debt Financing stage. Most of the 2 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact ACE?

Public channels for ACE include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at ACE?

The team at ACE includes Grace Fricks (Founder,President and CEO), Joshua Brackett (Chief Financial Officer) and Ray Pennie (Chief of Business Development). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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