Ama at the Atlas (Boston, MA)
A loan can be a simple financial transaction; a set amount of money repaid on a schedule. For Biplaw Rai, co-founder of Pearl & Law Hospitality alongside Nyacko Pearl Perry, the hospitality group behind Ama at The Atlas, Foxglove Terrace, and Comfort Kitchen, LEAF offered more.
“It’s a relationship,” Biplaw said.
When Biplaw and Nyacko began planning their next restaurant, they were looking for opportunities for their team to grow. One of Biplaw’s first calls was to Christopher Hunter, LEAF’s Director of Advisory Services.
The Ama Crew
Chris already knew their business. Through his work with Comfort Kitchen, he knew the team, understood their business model, and helped develop financial projections for the new venture. He had also experienced the restaurant as a customer.
That combination of business insight and personal connection gave LEAF a deeper understanding of what and who they’d be supporting.
LEAF assessed the business and provided financing for equipment and working capital for Ama at the Atlas. Ama opened in January 2026 quickly followed by Foxglove Terrace, Pearl & Law’s rooftop dining concept at The Atlas Hotel.
Like new businesses, Ama at the Atlas faced challenges its first months, “getting to know a new neighborhood, the clientele, and figuring out what works and what doesn’t,” Biplaw said.
Small businesses are part of what give Boston its unique character. Yet they face bigger barriers to accessing capital needed not to survive and grow.
For Pearl & Law Hospitality, Ama at the Atlas is surviving, growing and creating new pathways for employees while expanding a hospitality group built on shared success. Following the acclaim of Comfort Kitchen, named one of the Boston Globe’s Best New Restaurants and recognized by The New York Times as one of the country’s top 50 restaurants, Ama continues the team’s commitment to thoughtful, deeply intentional dining experiences. It’s on Western Avenue in Allston.
Stories like Pearl & Law Hospitality demonstrate how patient, relationship-based capital helps entrepreneurs seize opportunities for their teams and the communities that support them.