Challenge
Supporting small businesses with funding is only part of the story. The harder challenge was giving each of the 50 recipients real visibility and a platform to share their story beyond a simple announcement. The program website needed to do more than list names. It had to introduce the program, showcase the recipients in a way that felt personal and credible, and serve as an ongoing content hub as Alibaba.com continued to work with recipients after the grants were awarded.
Overview
Alibaba.com launched the Grants Program in partnership with Hello Alice to support digital entrepreneurs across the United States. The initiative provided funding and visibility to 50 small business recipients while deepening Alibaba.com’s connection with the entrepreneur community. I designed and developed a dedicated program website to announce the recipients, tell their stories, and serve as a central hub for program information and related content.
Timeline
- Oct 2021 – Dec 2022
Role
- UX Design
- Wireframing
- Visual Design
- Front-End Development
Team
- Marketing Director
- Pan Lau (Sole Designer / Developer)
Program Overview Page
I designed and developed the program overview page to announce the 50 grant recipients and serve as the central hub for all program content. The page opens with a program introduction and a panel of judges, followed by a filterable list of all 50 recipients organized by industry. From there, visitors can explore press coverage of the program and featured articles about individual recipients published on Alibaba.com. The page also links directly to the Alibaba.com Build Up website, connecting the grants program to the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Recipient Pages
Each of the 50 recipients had a dedicated page built around an interview Alibaba.com conducted with them directly. The page included a company profile with industry and website details, and a related content section for articles or videos produced in collaboration with the recipient over time. I structured the content across all 50 pages so that everything cross-linked naturally, making it easy for visitors to move between recipient stories and discover related content as it was added. Below is one of 50 recipient pages.
Impact
The program drew 12K+ applicants and awarded $500K in funding to 50 small business recipients across the United States. The website gave each recipient a dedicated platform to share their story and stayed current as new content was added over time. The program’s reach and reception led Alibaba.com to continue the partnership with Hello Alice, launching the Manifest Grants Program in September 2022.