John Hope Bryant vows to create one million Black entrepreneurs, businesses with $130 million fund with Shopify
By Hunter Gilmore, The Atlanta Voice For centuries, people from all over the world have viewed and traveled to America in pursuit of the American dream. To come to a place where freedom, opportunity and financial gain were highlighted at the top of the list. Everyone aspires to obtain these goals, especially people who are native to this country. However, somewhere along the way various societal and racial factors have discouraged certain groups of people and made it seem almost impossible to strive for the highest. John Hope Bryant, the
Diary of a Serial Entrepreneur: Five things I’ve learned
Yimaj “Steve” Kalifa has mastered the art of reinvention – and, he has been so successful at it, that executives from major corporations and federal agencies now seek him out for advice. Often life has chapters, he likes to say, but sometimes you have to write whole new books to succeed. Growing up near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kalifa’s first reinvention was realizing the power of context and environment. He had to near the center of the global economy, where his outsider status would let him see new opportunities that U.S. natives and industry veterans might overlook. So,
Morehouse, Spelman and Bank of America launch Center for Black Entrepreneurship
Today, Bank of America, the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, Morehouse College, and Spelman College announced the development of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE), the first-ever academic center of its kind to assemble, educate, and empower a new class of Black entrepreneurial talent. The CBE will be located on the campuses of Spelman College and Morehouse College in southwest Atlanta. Spelman plans to house the CBE in its new academic facility, the Center for Innovation & the Arts, and Morehouse will house its CBE within a new
Accenture Introduces Black Founders Development Program
Accenture has created the Black Founders Development Program to aid Black entrepreneurs, especially Black tech startups. According to a statement released by Accenture, the program is designed to "advance and grow technology businesses through greater, more direct access to venture capital, corporate mentorship, and strategic connections with Accenture’s business partners, clients, and people." They are aiming to increase Black access to wealth and fuel the next great innovators. "Black entrepreneurs continue to innovate but face bias and lack access to capital and opportunity in the venture capital community,
The 5 Elements of Branding
It’s time to get down to business and branding is the first step. As with any new venture, crafting the perfect brand requires more than a great idea to succeed. Here are five branding tips to make your brand stand out above the noise. “I define a brand as the secret sauce of business," said Veronica Gibson, owner of CX Branding Agency. “It’s the only thing that differentiates you from everyone else that’s doing what you’re doing.” Have Confidence in Yourself and Your Business Gibson says confidence is key to
EnJunaya Canton quit six-figure job to start fast-growing Zuhuri Beauty
It’s been an exciting couple of years for EnJunaya Canton, owner of Zuhuri Beauty, a skin care line originally created for African American women. Based out of Los Angeles, Canton has been rapidly growing her company for the past few years and is constantly thinking about how she can take it further. Started in 2006, Zuhuri Beauty was born out of a desire for cleaner, healthier skin care products. After seeing transformative results from starting an organic and vegan diet, Canton realized how much of a difference that
Hobby or Hustle: Understanding How Millennials View Entrepreneurship
Among millennials, currently there is a growing theme of people attempting to monetize hobbies. As opposed to previous generations, millennials (born between 1980 and 1996), have adopted a stronger entrepreneurial mentality. Economic Innovation Group along with EY, a professional services firm, polled millennials. The survey showed 62 percent of millennials have contemplated starting their own business, and 72 percent believe entrepreneurship is “essential for promoting innovation and jobs.” They either try and profit from something they are already good at, invest in something they believe in, or
Two Brothers Hope to Open Philadelphia’s First Black Owned Brewery
The state of Pennsylvania does not currently have a Black owned brewery. In fact, under 2 percent of American breweries are Black owned. Two West Philadelphia brothers, Rich Koilor and Mengistu Koilor, are looking to change that. "The more we looked into the brewing industry, the more we saw that there weren't a lot of Black brewers or Black-owned breweries," said Rich Koilor. "That kind of pushed us to, why not be the first Black-owned brewery in Philly?" Mengistu adds, "Something that's Black-owned that belongs to us where we