The NBA Finals may have ended when Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to victory to clinch his fourth championship, but the league’s all-stars are still active. Leveraging their work from the all-star game hosted in Cleveland, OH, earlier this year, the NBA Foundation partnered with Black Girl Ventures (BGV) to host its first-ever pitch competition. The joint programming was available to college-aged entrepreneurs from HBCUs across the nation. Hosted on June 17, seven participants presented their business ideas in front of a panel of judges that included Cleveland Cavilers head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, and notable HBCU alumni. The college entrepreneurs were a part of BGV’s NextGen Program, a grantee of the NBA Foundation. The NextGen program aims to create access to capital and necessary resources for success aimed at student entrepreneurs, who are ages 18-24. Daa’iyah Fogle of Claflin University and Malcolm Lee of Virginia Union University tied for first place among the...

Capital One will continue to support underserved communities. The banking service will build on its $200 million multi-year commitment by contributing an additional $10 million to existing and new partnerships. The funding aims to close gaps in equity and opportunity to foster growth for underserved communities. Recipients of the new funding include African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, Vera Institute of Justice, United Negro College Fund, finEQUITY, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Black Girl Ventures, and Jobs for the Future. In addition, Capital One will target funding toward Black-owned businesses. The contribution will be timely as various Black businesses experienced financial droughts during the peak of the pandemic. Capital One will partner with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity to create the Capital One Business grant program. Business owners will receive $10,000 grants through the program and access to free resources to propel their business through...

Leading women-founded ice cream brand Coolhaus and social organization Black Girl Ventures (BGV) have both joined forces to announce the launch of a new initiative aimed at supporting Black and brown business-women. According to a press release , both entities have introduced “ Currency Cake” — a carrot cake batter ice cream with cream cheese frosting swirl and candied pecans — which is considered the first-ever pint of ice cream solely created to fund the next generation of Black and Brown women entrepreneurs. Many reports have shared that Black founders, and Black women founders in particular, receive very little access to venture capital and have no choice but to rely on fundraising through family and friends, grants and crowdfunding. Thus, BGV and Coolhaus wish to launch a venture that will change that narrative for Black and brown business-women and help them reach their company goals. “When we have big ideas for brands that can change the game, the next step is finding unique...

In honor of Women’s History Month, Visa has announced a new locally-focused joint program with Black Girl Ventures to help digitally enable Black and women-owned small businesses across the U.S. The program — She’s Next — offers $10,000 grants and a one-year IFundWomen Annual Coaching Membership to 60 Black women-owned businesses. It aims to address the needs of local entrepreneurs who populate cities with the highest concentration of Black-owned businesses in America – including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C., a press release shares. The new slate of programming includes grants and mentorship, new educational and technology resources, as well as direct community relationships in partnership with Black Girl Ventures. “Black Girl Ventures is proud to partner with Visa to assist these entrepreneurs and provide a megaphone to each community’s most pressing needs,” said Shelly Bell, founder of Black Girl Ventures, in a statement. “While the Black...

This is how you do it! Nike has always been consistent in putting action behind their words when it comes to supporting Black lives. Remaining consistent, the athletic wear giant has announced a $500,000 investment with Black Girl Ventures. “The $500,000 investment from NIKE, Inc. will support Black Girl Ventures in its efforts to provide Black and Brown women-identifying founders with access to community, capital, and capacity-building to support entrepreneurship,” said the company in a press release. “This contribution builds on the commitments to Black Girls CODE, NAACP Empowerment Programs, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) announced in July 2020.” Black Girl Ventures — a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit — is committed to addressing the unique challenges Black and Brown women face in accessing social and financial capital to grow their businesses. “Nike’s funding will help us grow our reach through new chapter development, increase our technology...