68 www.blackeoejournal.com Black EOE Journal
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look like if nothing ever stood in the way of Black and Latinx entrepreneurs building their companies and actualizing their dreams? The epitome of Black Ambition is creating that environment. We are building a scaffolding where whatever stood in the way before or interrupted those dreams will never stand in the way again. We are creating environments where Black and Latinx founders are never interrupted again. In support of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), The Black Ambition HBCU Prize will offer prizes and mentorship for current and former students at HBCUs as they develop early-stage ideas and launch companies in consumer products and services, media and entertainment, healthcare, technol- ogy and Web 3.0. The grand prize winner will receive a $100,000 prize and at least seven additional teams will receive smaller prizes. Teams must include at least one current HBCU undergraduate or graduate student (full-time or part-time), one recent alum within two years of graduation or one former student within two years of attending the institution who is a member of the founding team. This HBCU- affiliated individual must identify as Black/ African/African American and/or Hispanic/ Latino/a/Latinx. The Black Ambition Prize will find, support and seed early-stage companies in consumer products and services, media and entertain- ment, healthcare, technology and Web 3.0. Ventures must have at least one founder or co-founder that identifies as Black/African/ African American and/or Hispanic/Latino/a/ Latinx. The grand prize winner will receive a $1 million prize and at least six additional teams will receive smaller prizes. For both prizes, a member of the founding team is defined as having a senior role, such as VP or C-level role. The prize will launch with a nationwide call for applications from eli- gible founder teams. Independent application reviewers will score eligible applications on the strength of their idea, with the strongest applications advancing to the major national event. People who think that winning Black Ambition is about the prize money have it all wrong. The network, the education, the resources are so much more important than the dollars, says Justin Turk, 2021 Black Ambition Prize winner and founder and CEO of Livegistics. Being part of this organization has changed the trajectory of all of our lives here at Livegistics. Everyone who is part of this process will leave better off than they came. When 2022s competition is over, dont let money be the only thing you walk away with. Ventures are assessed based on a variety of factors, most important of which is the ambi- tion of the founding team. Black Ambition is looking for those founders who are thinking big and building the world-changing com- panies of tomorrow. These founders will be building ventures with strong business viabil- ity and fundability, dynamic teams and a spirit of innovation and expression aligned with our founder Pharrell Williams. Finally, these busi- nesses will be committed to transforming the landscape - in their communities, in their hir- ing practices and in their contribution to giving back and lifting up those around them (further outlined in the Black Ambition Founders Pledge that applicants take). Black Ambition Prize winners are living embodiments of the organization's ideals and exist as ambassadors of the brand and the best of entrepreneurship. Annually, Black Ambition will offer their namesake prize competition including Demo Day, mentorship and access to programming for winners. Black Ambition will also offer community-level programming, events, pitch competitions and regional activations. This endeavor has been recognized across multiple media platforms for driving meaning- ful change. For more information, visit black- ambitionprize.com.
Sources: Black Ambition, Black PRwire
I asked what kind of family Amina wanted. She said, 'A family like yours.' That's when I knew I had to adopt her.
Denise, adopted 17-year-old Amina
YO U C A N ' T I M AG I N E TH E R E WA R D L E A R N A B O U T A D O P T I N G A T E E N
A D O P T U S K I D S . O R G
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