Our Program
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Led by a diverse network of instructors and mentors from the social impact sector, this 6-month incubator brings a comprehensive and proven curriculum of business development to early-stage Black and Brown social impact leaders. These entrepreneurs are our V.E.R. Fellows: Vision. Execution. Results.
For 6 months our Fellows meet (virtually) with our amazing instructors, mentors, and volunteer consultants for:
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Ten development sessions that include:
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Participants receive:
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Qualifications to join our V.E.R. Program
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View our Incubator Sessions in Action!
Session #1MISSION & VISION STATEMENT WORKSHOP
Company mission and vision statements are the fundamental fabric of the organization. The first step in the V.E.R. Incubator is to establish a clear yet evolving path, laying the groundwork for effective fundraising, marketing, and program/product evaluation. Fellows learn to: - Write clear mission and vision statements - Identify what problem they are trying to solve - Answer, the questions "What is my desired end goal?" View a clip of session below
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Session #6FINANCE & BUDGETING RESOURCES
Creating a business that’s truly built to last means ensuring the organization's fiscal health is in good shape, with key financial data. During this session fellows will learn to establish the assets and liabilities needed to run their organization to wield tools for tracking key income and expenses. Fellows will learn to: - Identify costs attached to company liabilities and operations - Create fundraising goals based on monthly and yearly benchmarks - Set comparable revenue rates, tied to the rest of the market View a clip of session below
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Session #10 |
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STORYTELLING & THE ART OF THE PERFECT PITCH
As an entrepreneur, you need to always be ready to pitch your company and leave folks wanting more. In this session, fellows will spend this session practicing their company pitch as they set to launch their organizations to the next level. Fellows will learn to: - Build and Refine their Founder’s Story - Make The Big Ask - Present their larger than life problems and how their solutions are really the only #1 choice View a clip of session below
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MEET THE FELLOWS
Click each fellow's names to learn more
Afiya WilliamsWild Fiya
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Alterell MillsProject P.R.I.S.M
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Ariana AbramsonGirls Can Build
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Brie ColstonBrown Girl Recovery
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Kylah BrunoBrown Girl Recovery
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Chaele DavisFemme Focus Events
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Dimple PatelSarvasya Yoga
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Franklyn MenaUniverse City NYC
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Anika CarterROOTED LLC
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Kaniya SammROOTED LLC
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Tendo SekiwalaLabor of Love
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MEET THE MENTORS
Click each mentor's image to learn more
Eunice NyandatEunice Nyandat is the Founder at MBM [MyBizMarketer] based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her first taste of entrepreneurship was as a product manager of Managed Cyber Security; while in that position, she co-founded a lifestyle management company in Atlanta, GA.
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Rachel Wyley Rachel Wyley currently serves as the Bay Area Executive Director for Peer Health Exchange. She has worked in service of students and communities in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years, primarily in the Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco Bay Area communities.
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Cynthia Hellen Cynthia is the founder and CEO of New York based design lab SMPLCT, pronounced simplicity, which creates sustainable products, services and experiences for both people and our planet, by improving life and building communities while also protecting the environment.
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Cynthia ShephardCynthia Shephard studied at Monroe College, majoring in Hospitality Management. Through both administrative and culinary experience, Cynthia provides Mexican cuisine, drinks, and catering services with the goal of inspiring others. She champions women and minorities through organizations like FoodtoEat and The Floating Hospital.
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Emilie HsiehEmilie is on a mission to help companies build inclusive culture. She is the founder and CEO of Allie, a SaaS platform to measure and improve diversity and inclusion. Emilie started her career as a management consultant to Fortune 500 companies where she saw firsthand the impact of team dynamics and working styles on culture, and inclusion.
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Phaon SpurlockPhaon Spurlock is a marketing professional, serial entrepreneur, speaker, NYU adjunct instructor and Forbes featured lifestyle writer. He is the owner of BKLYN LEAGUE, LuxuriousPROTOTYPE, and Boheme Home Basics. His 15 years of experience in marketing has led him to work across several different industries.
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Raz PetricRaz Petric started his consulting career with Deloitte, advising public financial services firms. After working at large companies he transitioned to overseeing a family office comprising of multiple start-ups and middle-market businesses
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Alain LeroyAlain Leroy is the co-founder and COO of The Gentlemen’s Factory (GF), a growing community of like-minded men of color that are invested in each other’s success.
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Resham ParikhResham is a communications consultant for technology and science companies. She is currently acting as the interim Head of Comms for Modern Ventures, a venture studio with a portfolio of health startups.
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MEET THE COACHES
Click each coache's image to learn more
Eva TurnerEva is a spirituality education consultant, doula, LMSW, Metta meditation teacher, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in training and certified Vinyasa yoga instructor deeply interested in radical connection and authenticity.
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Jonathan MillerJonathan is the co-founder of Level 7 Leadership - a leadership development group working with social-impact founders to develop their leadership skills and build better businesses so that they can scale their impact (minus the burnout).
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Nakia James-JenkinsNakia has spent her career in leadership positions at organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, driving the development of their people and cultures. At On-Ramps, Nakia works with social sector organizations focused on changing the world.
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MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Noel McKenzie
Mission & Vision
Noel McKenzie is a Black, Queer, Jamerican social entrepreneur and organizational development consultant based in Brooklyn, New York. He is Executive Director of Represented Foundation the nonprofit he founded in Brooklyn in 2017.
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Alexandra Fenwick-MooreStrategic Communications & Branding
Alexandra is a communications professional who has dedicated her career to organizations with missions she believes in. She graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Public Relations\ Communications and a minor in English.
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Luis Martinez
Developing a Pilot & Scaling
Luis Martinez, MSOL is an Afro-Latino from Honduras and raised in Brooklyn, New York with an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership. A Former Pro Basketball Player and U.S. Navy Veteran, currently he is the Founder/CEO for “We Tha Plug."
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Lori Walton
Fundraising
Lori Walton is driven by her life purpose to inspire change in the world for equity, inclusion and diversity. She is a recognized talent with 20 years of working at notable Fortune 500 companies.
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Sivan Bruce
Financial Management & Budgeting
Sivan Bruce is passionate about mission-driven finance. Currently, she helps with the compliance and monitoring of Nonprofit Finance Fund’s New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) portfolio, which includes over $150 million in financing.
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Esmeralda Herrera
Program & Product Services
Esmeralda Herrera is Director of Programs and Community Relations at Communitas America. She manages an accelerator in the Bronx that works directly with founders – primarily women and entrepreneurs of color.
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Kenrick Ross
Organizational Development
Kenrick is the Executive Director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), and I am also the founder of Urban&Out, a LGBTQPOC professional and leadership development network. I am deeply passionate about, social justice and entrepreneurship, intersectional diversity, and inclusion.
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Mala Henrique
Measuring Impact & Evaluation
Mala brings people, ideas and resources together to develop innovative, creative projects that tackle local and global inequalities to foster social justice. Mala specializes in impact measurement, project management and program design.
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Marlyne Pierce
Digital Marketing
Marlyne Pierce is a Digital Growth Consultant & Founder with over 10 years of experience in Product Innovation and Customer Experience Development. She has worked with visionary Fortune 50 companies, business leaders, and founders.
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Precious Williams
Storytelling & Pitch
Have you ever met the full-figured diva who has taken the business world by storm and won BIG? Well now you have! Precious L. Williams, also affectionately known as the #KillerPitchMaster, can help you #slayallcompetition with her “killer” elevator pitches, media pitches, and investor pitches.
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Unlike anything I've experienced. It's been invaluable. We still use those lessons to measure our success, today.” |
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I got to set aside the way that I would normally approach my business and be in a community that allowed me to learn and fail." |
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Our Volunteer Service Groups (VSGs) are comprised of high-skilled volunteers who help our entrepreneurs by supporting them to bring their brand new ideas to life. |
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VSG at a glance:
VSG is a six-week program where teams of Pro-bono consultants, provide project support to our fellows and other Black & Brown social impact leaders in:
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To Join VSG:
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Volunteer Service Groups (VSGs) Benefits
- Ability to work completely remotely
- Network and build exciting new relationships
- Leave a lasting impact on the life of a Black & Brown social impact leaders
- Flex (or grow) your consulting skills
- Create racial equity by supporting local Black & Brown social impact leaders
View a VSG in Action!
View video ↓ to see volunteers Sivan and Clarice present a new operating budget and their capital funding research to Sp 21' fellow, Tiffany Hayatt, founder of nonprofit Hayatt's Journey Home, a halfway house for US veterans and aged-out foster youth.
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Over three years we've supported 30 Black and Brown social impact leaders across the New York metro area, helping them to grow their companies, deepen their alchemy and crystalize their pictures for a better world. Especially within the context of historic events in 2020 and 2021, our team and is beyond proud to share our learnings and milestones in our very first impact report.
Read our Impact Report below!
Read our Impact Report below!
