As part of Apple’s ongoing commitment to Black communities and creating opportunities for aspiring business leaders, the tech giant has announced a cohort of Black founders and developers for its latest Entrepreneur Camp.

A recent blog post shares that Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp is welcoming a class of founders and their teams from 13 different app-driven companies to join its newly-launched program.

Chosen participants for the program include:

- - David Bosun-Arebuwa (B3am)
  - Adam Taylor (Black)
  - Cedric J. Rogers and Shaun Newsum (Cultural Genesis/ Bar Exam)
  - Abdou Sarr (Film3D)
  - Brent Brinkley (FormKey)
  - Lybron Sobers (Health Auto Export)
  - Casey Pollock (Hologarden)
  - Ailton Vieira, Gabriel Taques, Maykon Meneghel, Mariana Lech, and Rodolfo Diniz (Hubli)
  - Quintin Rodriguez-Harrison (Justice Royale)
  - David Alston (Kickstroid)
  - Aurelia Edwards (Nailstry)
  - Ashley McKoy, Harold Lomotey, and Ositanachi Otugo (The Peek: TV Shows and Movies)
  - Matt Garrison (TuneBend)

The inaugural program — which is designed to give developers the chance to utilize existing app experience — offers this cohort of leaders an opportunity to advance their skills to the next level by mastering new technical methods and applying a critical lens to the app users’ experience.

Moreover, these founders and leaders will also have a chance to explore other areas of their expertise through hands-on technology labs, one-on-one coding guidance from Apple experts and engineers, as well as mentorship and insight from Apple’s top leaders.

Back in 2019, Apple introduced its first-ever Entrepreneur Camp — an immersive tech lab for app-driven companies founded and led by developers from underrepresented backgrounds — with a group of women founders and developers.

Since then, those participants have gone on to secure major funding rounds, garner various awards and accolades, and greatly expand both their staff and app users around the world.

To help kick off its new program, Apple is also partnering with early-stage VC firm Harlem Capital to offer guidance and mentorship to its participants.

This new partnership and entrepreneur camp coincides with Apple’s $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative that aims to build upon the company’s work to advance racial equity in education, the economy, and our criminal justice system.

With Apple’s latest slate of initiatives, the company is striving to extend more opportunities to communities of color nationwide while also building up the next generation of diverse leaders.

“These incredible app creators and business leaders embody the entrepreneurial spirit that runs so deep in the Black community,” said Lisa Jackson — Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives — in a statement. “Their work already demonstrates the power of coding to build a better world, and we’re honored to support them as they blaze a trail we know so many more will follow.”

To learn more about Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp and its developers, click here.

entrepreneur camp

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