Closing Event - EndeavorLAB for Black Founders, powered by Dell & FPL
Join Endeavor's Miami Art Week event - the closing of the EndeavorLAB for Black Founders cohort!
The EndeavorLAB for Black Founders Cohort, powered by Dell for Startups and FPL, is comprised of ten businesses that embody the entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of Black founders. A majority (70%) of the companies were founded within the last four years, with the median founding year being 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. These founders have also managed to operate successfully with very lean teams, employing between 1 and 16 full-time employees, and a total of 55 in Florida and around the world. Additionally, 40% of these companies are bootstrapped while 60% have raised some form of external capital that totals $3M.
Industries are incredibly varied, with the three most represented sectors being GovTech (20%), Retail & Consumer Tech (20%), and FinTech (20%). Other verticals represented include CleanTech, Enterprise SaaS, Food & Beverage and Media.
With a projected collective revenue of $4.5M by the end of 2023, which represents a 100% growth since 2022, this collective of home-grown businesses is poised to make a significant impact in the Florida startup scene and beyond.
Founders selected for the cohort have taken part in five weeks of group modules and individual mentorship sessions focused on building a foundation for scale. Now as the initiative comes to an end, the founders will participate in a Closing Event where they will pitch their companies night to the Endeavor community.
Once the pitches are done, we will move on to the networking reception with light bites and drinks. Attendees will have the chance to network with top-tier entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders from the Endeavor network and the greater entrepreneurial community.
Join Endeavor's Miami Art Week event - the closing of the EndeavorLAB for Black Founders cohort!
The EndeavorLAB for Black Founders Cohort, powered by Dell for Startups and FPL, is comprised of ten businesses that embody the entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of Black founders. A majority (70%) of the companies were founded within the last four years, with the median founding year being 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. These founders have also managed to operate successfully with very lean teams, employing between 1 and 16 full-time employees, and a total of 55 in Florida and around the world. Additionally, 40% of these companies are bootstrapped while 60% have raised some form of external capital that totals $3M.
Industries are incredibly varied, with the three most represented sectors being GovTech (20%), Retail & Consumer Tech (20%), and FinTech (20%). Other verticals represented include CleanTech, Enterprise SaaS, Food & Beverage and Media.
With a projected collective revenue of $4.5M by the end of 2023, which represents a 100% growth since 2022, this collective of home-grown businesses is poised to make a significant impact in the Florida startup scene and beyond.
Founders selected for the cohort have taken part in five weeks of group modules and individual mentorship sessions focused on building a foundation for scale. Now as the initiative comes to an end, the founders will participate in a Closing Event where they will pitch their companies night to the Endeavor community.
Once the pitches are done, we will move on to the networking reception with light bites and drinks. Attendees will have the chance to network with top-tier entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders from the Endeavor network and the greater entrepreneurial community.
Meet our EndeavorLAB Participants
Allison blends compliance and integrations into a single platform, for community banks and credit unions.
Entrepreneurs: Brian Alvarez-Bailey, Co-Founder & CEO, and Nicole Green, Co-Founder & Head of Sales
Avatar Buddy provides a technology-based digital mentor to help individuals reach their full potential. With a focus on education, employee engagement, and personal growth, Avatar Buddy offers personalized support, mentorship, and resources. Powered by AI, it revolutionizes the way we connect and support each other.
Entrepreneur: Stephanie Sylvestre, Co-Founder
GO See The City is a food waste reduction platform that connects surplus food from restaurants to consumers & nonprofits. It aims to be used as a catalyst to assist the USDA & EPA in reducing food waste by 50% by 2030.
Entrepreneur: Aneshai Smith, CEO
Hipstr is a technology platform designed to help event organizers streamline the process for creating, planning, and executing their media needs for their private events.
Entrepreneurs: Michael McIntosh, Co-Founder & CEO, and Rob Dextradeur, Co-Founder & COO
In the Kitchen with Alexandra provides home cooks and hot sauce aficionados with the first-ever premium Haitian sauces and condiments, flavor enhancers, and meal perfectors. Individuals who have an appetite for, and seek exotic and ethnic flavors, are cultivating a more diverse pantry, and In the Kitchen with Alexandra delivers precisely what consumers desire.
Entrepreneurs: Alexandra Baker, Co-Founder & CEO, and Troy Baker, Co-Founder & COO
Laundr is a vertical SaaS laundry company that brings laundromats to more customers and manages every aspect of the customer journey, from the first interaction through years of consistent service. It offers a seamless laundry service for end-users, overseeing customer service, as well as pickup and delivery, enabling laundromats to focus on doing laundry.
Entrepreneurs: Kyle Lampkin, Co-Founder & CEO, and Michael Behfar, Co-Founder & CTO
Lynk Me is an AI-powered compliance and digital identity provider that was founded in 2019 with a focus on underserved markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. As it has grown, Lynk Me has expanded into North America, while remaining committed to its original mission.
Entrepreneurs: Kesha Julien, Co-Founder & COO, and Louis Kinley, Co-Founder & CEO
Sensatek Propulsion Technology offers continuous monitoring of the biggest wind turbines using passive RF sensors for predictive maintenance.
Entrepreneurs: Reamonn Soto, CEO, Azryana Soto, COO, and Dr. Taofeek Orekan, CTO
WeTrain is the new authentic mobile app that connects K-12 parents with College & Pro athletes to complete 1 on 1 sport training sessions, virtual mentor sessions, group sessions, and events around the world!
Entrepreneur: Maurice Manswell, Founder & CEO
Inspired by personal experiences and a commitment to social impact, WorldSafe1st has been a pioneering company committed to revolutionizing community violence intervention solutions in public health and public safety for governmental agencies.
Entrepreneurs: Willmeisha Hall, Chief Marketing and Operations Officer (CMOO), Wayne Clarke, CEO, and Trevor Brooks, Chief Business Development (CBDO)
Panel on Funding Cultural Currency with Kori Hale, CEO at CultureBanx & Contributor at Forbes, Evan Leaphart, Founder & CEO at Kiddie Kredit, and David Correa, Executive Director, Technology and Disruptive Commerce, Commercial Banking at J.P. Morgan
About Kori Hale
Kori Hale is a notable figure in social entrepreneurship and impact. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of CultureBanx, a platform that creates stock market driven business news for hip-hop culture. Her online platform delivers high quality content focused on market-driven stories, innovative products and services that culture leads the way in transforming. She is an award winning entrepreneur known for her work in promoting financial literacy and economic empowerment, especially among Black entrepreneurs and investors.
Prior to starting CultureBanx, Kori was part of the launch team for digital media millennial news company Cheddar. She has the distinct privilege of being the first Black woman to anchor a daily news show from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Kori is also a leading Forbes contributor, covering the intersection of business and culture. Previously she was a TV Producer for CNBC’s top-rated shows Squawk on the Street and Squawk Alley. Before joining CNBC, Kori was an international producer for Bloomberg TV and a financial correspondent for TheStreet.com. Kori’s passion for business news started with her role at UBS Investment Bank in London and continued when she returned to the states to work as an Investment Banker for Goldman Sachs.
She is an active global public speaker and has presented at the SXSW Conference, Cannes Lions Festival, Forbes 30 Under 30 Conference, United Nations General Assembly, Salesforce, PayPal, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, Mosaic Genius Gathering, Barclays Bank, Facebook, Bloomberg, UPenn Wharton School of Business, AfroTech Executive, Anheuser-Busch, Social Innovation Summit, UBS Investment Bank, Syracuse University, New York University and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. Kori received her undergraduate degree in Finance from Hampton University and a Masters degree in Broadcast Digital Journalism from Syracuse University. Her universal service includes being an advisory board member for the True Culture Venture Capital Fund and National Bankers Association. She is passionate about the importance of the arts and community involvement. As a board director for Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Kori is part of a generation of emerging arts supporters.
About David Correa
David Correa is an experienced technology banker with a 20-year track record of successfully partnering with founders, management teams, and investors of fast growth and late-stage domestic and international private and public businesses.
In his current role, David is a senior banker in J.P. Morgan's Technology and Disruptive Commerce banking group, where he focuses on delivering innovative banking solutions to high-growth technology and industry disruptors within the innovation economy that are backed primarily by institutional capital. High-growth disruptive businesses have complex commercial and investment banking needs and need a scalable global platform to help them grow from founding through sale or IPO.
David is actively involved with several tech-equity initiatives and is a current board member of the Florida Venture Forum the leading statewide support and member organization for venture and private equity professionals and entrepreneurs.
He received his BSBA degree in Management from the University of Georgia, MS in Corporate Finance from Georgia State University and holds Series 7, 79, and 63 securities licenses. During his free time, David enjoys traveling and spending quality time with friends and family.
He is also passionate about the outdoors and is an avid cyclist and runner.
About Evan Leaphart
As the creator of Kiddie Kredit, Evan is serious about teaching children and their families to have honest conversations about credit. Kiddie Kredit is a mobile chore tracking app designed to teach kids about the importance of financial literacy. He combines a passion for financial literacy and innovation with a commitment to solving real problems that help the community around him. Evan encourages youth to follow their dreams and pursue their passions - to create great careers rather than jobs that make everyday feel like work.
Evan is also the co-founder of Black Men Talk Tech, which is an entrepreneurship collective that promotes collaboration between Black men and other members of the tech ecosystem. Black Men Talk Tech’s mission is to create a cycle of access, insights, capital, and inclusion for Black men in tech. The company delivers social and economic impact, high quality and substantive content.
Evan’s had prior entrepreneurial ventures and is focused on sharing all of his knowledge about tech, finance, and entrepreneurship with the next generation.