El-Java is a small business development and management consultant, working with aspiring entrepreneurs and start ups in a variety of industries including retail, food production, service provision, and social enterprise. He provides technical and business assistance to clients in new idea generation, market analysis and feasibility, operations, business plan development, and new venture creation. He presents talks on entrepreneurship and small business ownership as the key to economic development for local groups including business consultants, social service providers, nonprofit organizations, as well as educational institutions, and conferences throughout the country. El-Java has a vast knowledge base and experience with challenges and opportunities related to self employment in marginalized populations such as minorities and women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and
survivors of domestic violence. He is fascinated with the immigrant and refugee communities’ propensity towards entrepreneurship and their ability to navigate traditional and nontraditional funding sources, and access to startup capital.
As an adjunct Professor of Practice in the Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises department, El-Java is also the director of the South Side Innovation Center (SSIC), a business incubator and small business service center in the City of Syracuse, which houses 30 resident clients in its’ 60,000 square foot facility and provides consulting services to another 350 unique small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs per year. The SSIC, a project of the Whitman School of Management also houses the New York State Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP), which has helped over 54 businesses to incorporate, obtain funding, and collectively generate more than $35 million in revenue over the past 4 years. In 2012, El-Java was a recipient of the Minority Small Business Champion of the Year Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration, given for his commitment to entrepreneurship.