SHOPPE BLACK, Author at SHOPPE BLACK

17 Black Owned Businesses in North Carolina

March 11, 2018April 5, 2020

2 mins read

North Carolina is home to many amazing Black owned businesses. here are a few! Let us know which others there are!

Black Owned Businesses in North Carolina

BW Sweets Bakery is a full service bakery offering a complete product line of all things sweet and delicious.

North Carolina

SALTBOX Seafood Joint( Durham) offers seasonal, fresh seafood that is delivered fresh from the Carolina coast.

Pangea Tapas Bar & Grill (Huntersville) offers international inspired appetizers, fruit tray’s and light entertainment.

Mr 3’s Crab Pot (Charlotte- take-out only) is here to bring you outstanding seafood dishes with a uniquely favored taste.

Tropical Goodies (North Charlotte) has served authentic Caribbean food and drinks for more than a decade.

Sweetest Thing Bakery (Charlotte) prepares made to order Desserts with professional detail and the freshest ingredients.

Soul Central (Charlotte) brings an island twist to traditional Southern style cooking.

Red @ 28 (Charlotte) is a chill hangout with vintage chairs & bookshelves, plus mixed drinks & flavored hookah pipes.

Beyú Caffe (Durham) is an upbeat, bohemian hangout offering coffee, all-day American fare, a full bar, live jazz & free WiFi.

Charlie’s Angels Beauty bar (Charlotte)services range from protective styles, precision cuts, treatments, full sew ins, frontal install, makeup and waxing services.

Styles by Lisa of Beverly Hills (Charlotte) is a hair styling salons specializing in natural hair.

Taji Natural Hair Styling (Raleigh) is ready to help you with all of your natural hair needs.

Lucky You Salon (Charlotte) Whether you’re hoping to enhance your natural curls or learning to embrace them, they’ve totally got you covered.

Rachel Stewart Jewelry (online) churns out unique and incredibly cool black-centric jewelry and accessories.

Morehead Manor Bed & Breakfast (Durham) offers the comforts of home to both leisure and business travelers.

The Palace International (Durham) is a family-owned eatery offering varied African cuisine, world music, Tusker beers & Nairobian punch.

Ms. Elsie’s Caribbean Bed & Breakfast Inn (Charlotte) offers the blissful solitude of a tropical island in the midst of a major urban city.

Tony O. Lawson (IG: @thebusyafrican)

29-Year Old Woman Running the Largest Black Owned Airline in the Bahamas

March 10, 2018March 10, 2018

2 mins read

Western Air is the largest privately owned airline in the Bahamas. It was established in 2001 by Rex J. Rolle and Shandrice Woodside-Rolle.

Their daughter, Sherrexcia ‘Rexy’ Rolle started as a baggage handler and is now the Vice President of Operations and General Counsel for the airline.

In an interview with Bauce Magazine, Rexy was asked what advice she would give women that are interested in the aviation industry.

She said, “Be confident in what you know and I say that over again. One of our downfalls as women is that we leave it at the door, — we must stay CONFIDENT in what we know and the work we produce.

We as women were groomed from schooling and professionally to always second guess our decisions and feel as if we are “under-qualified.”

I learned from experience to know your industry very well because the odds are immediately against you due to gender and race.

In the aviation industry, you should know its a highly regulated industry as it should be, but it’s also incredibly broad with various work opportunities that are not commonly known.

Sherrexcia ‘Rexy’ Rolle – Source (@rexyisland)

In my role, I have to ensure operations comply with not only our company policies and standards but to all relevant laws and regulations.

Understanding your market and clientele — the customers ALWAYS come first! What we take pride in at Western Air Ltd. is our customer service.

This is exactly what sets us apart from our competition. Our customers are family and we treat family members with pride and the utmost respect.

In building your capital, be sure you do your research to ensure your aviation and finance partners or investors understand your vision and what it will require. Trust your staff, partners, and most importantly YOURSELF.”

With a net worth of $90+ million, Western Airlines has been steadily increasing its routes across the Caribbean, including direct flights to Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and soon Florida.

Underground Railroad Station Found in Philadelphia

March 10, 2018

7 mins read

From the outside, 625 South Delhi Street looks like an average Philadelphia rowhouse.

But in the 1850s, it was home to Underground Railroad leaders William and Letitia Still. Within the house’s narrow confines, they sheltered hundreds of escapees and gave well-known figures like Harriet Tubman shelter.

The William & Letitia Still House at 625 South Delhi Street. (PlanPhilly)

Looking at this almost 180-year-old rowhouse just off South Street, preservation activist Oscar Beisert says that its stoop appears to be the original marble from the 19th century.

“We don’t even have basic African-American landmarks protected in Philadelphia…[so] finding that stoop where she [Tubman] potentially arrived with people from Maryland, that’s what I think is really incredible about what we have here,” said Beisert.

On Friday, Beisert and preservationist James Duffin successfully argued that the house deserves a place on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The designation — unanimously supported by the Philadelphia Historical Commission — means that the structure can’t be demolished or significantly altered unless the commission grants an exemption to the property owner.

The house is owned by an entity called F&J Homes LLC, which acquired it last year. They did not contest the nomination.

The campaign to protect the house featured an unusual amount of backing from experts outside of Philadelphia, including Columbia University Professor of History Eric Foner and Lonnie G. Bunch III, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History.

“In the current cultural moment, Americans are reassessing which historical figures and events are worthy of public remembrance and commemoration,” wrote Bunch in a letter supporting Duffin and Beisert. “In this context, the extraordinary movements in which Still was engaged are becoming increasingly visible and essential elements of a renewed national story.”

The story that the advocates use to bolster their case focuses on William Still, who moved to Philadelphia in 1844 and later began working for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society.

As the chairman of the organization’s Vigilance Committee, he orchestrated the Underground Railroad activities in Philadelphia and across the country. One historian described him as “second only to Harriet Tubman in Underground Railroad operations.” Between 1850 and 1855, in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act — which required that Northern states assist in capturing escaped slaves — Stills and his wife Letitia sheltered hundreds of escapees in their home.

In one case cited in the preservationists’ brief, Still rescued a woman and her two sons from enslavement within sight of the white Southerner claiming ownership. The encounter happened as the party was about to cross from Philadelphia to Camden on the ferry.

African-American dock workers barred the white Southerner from making contact with the family while Still and an accomplice spirited them back into the city. The case made national news when Still and his allies were arrested. The story was eventually novelized as The Price of a Child.

In a photo contained in the brief, Stills is shown lifting the lid of a three-foot-long, two-and-a-half foot deep, and two-foot-wide box. The box held a man: Henry “Box” Brown, who mailed himself from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia to escape slavery.

“Some images have Frederick Douglass lifting the lid of the box,” said Duffin. “But that’s just because everyone knew who he was. Douglass actually wasn’t in Philadelphia at that time. It was Still.”

Still is also renowned for writing one of the only firsthand African-American penned accounts of the movement, titled simply, “The Underground Railroad.” It is 800 pages long and includes dozens of individual tales of escape. (“It was, in essence, the first African-American encyclopedia,” writes Joe Lockard, professor of English at Arizona State University and founder of the Anti-Slavery Literature Project.)

Many prominent historians like Foner and Lockard wrote letters to the Historical Commission in support of the nomination. They uniformly praised the advocates’ scholarship, noting that many properties supposedly connected to the railroad do not hold up to scrutiny. But they found Duffin’s scholarship impeccable.

Duffin discovered the house by poring over city records, cross-referencing the address with maps, and advertisements for Letitia’s business in abolitionist newspapers from the 1850s.

Many of the historians emphasized the house’s importance in the context of the national debate about Confederate monuments, and which aspects of United States history to commemorate.

Foner, for one, said he wants to see more symbols of emancipation and black history elevated rather than simply having the Confederate statues torn down.

“Personally, I prefer to add new historic sites to make the representation of history more accurately reflect our diverse past and present,” writes Foner, author of “Gateway to Freedom,” “and to honor those who fought against slavery as well as those who went to war to defend it. Thus, designating the Still home as a historic property would be a statement… about what in our past we choose to honor and why.”

by Jake Blumgart – PlanPhilly

From Prison Chef to Successful Burger Business Owner

March 7, 2018March 7, 2018

7 mins read

By 11 a.m., the first hungry customers start milling about outside of James Purifoy’s burger joint, 15th & Chris in Rockford, Illinois. By noon, the line often snakes around the small, red building and into the parking lot.

“Some of the customers I see so often that I already know what they’re ordering, just by the way they’re standing and looking at me,” says Purifoy.

Purifoy opened 15th & Chris in September 2014 and in less than four years, he’s become a local culinary celebrity. The no-frills operation offers no indoor seating, just a few picnic tables out front. But people come from miles around for Purifoy’s burgers.

“They’re not just coming from 20 or 30 minutes away. Someone in Minnesota saw my review on social media and ended up at 15th & Chris to try my burger,” he boasts.

Purifoy created every burger recipe on the menu and named them himself.

Among some of the most popular burgers is The Mackaveli, a patty with BBQ sauce, melted cheese and beer-battered onion rings. Then there is The First Lady burger, which is basted with steak sauce and topped with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, grilled onions and mayo.

burger

Oddly enough, Purifoy says he wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t served time in prison.

Surrounding 15th & Chris are the housing projects where Purifoy and his siblings were raised by their mother. “We were six kids and she was a single parent with multiple jobs,” he says.

Although he was the first in his family to make it through high school, he says “inner city street life” eventually consumed him. “I was in a gang. I had a gun, I was dealing drugs to make money for myself and for the family,” he recalls.

He was arrested multiple times as a teenager. Then, when he was 17, he shot a rival gang member. “I never thought it was right, but I didn’t want to die either. For me, I had to stop them before they got me,” he says.

At 19, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Walking into the penitentiary was a wake-up call. “I decided prison was not going to be my revolving door anymore,” says Purifoy.

He took classes to pass the time. He pursued an associate degree in automotive technology, followed by vocational certificates in custodial services and building maintenance. But it was the associate degree he attained in culinary arts that struck a chord with him.

“I remember watching my mom cook and wondering how she made things taste the way they did. It always intrigued me,” says Purifoy.

Eventually, he became head chef at one of the prisons where he was serving out his sentence. While there, he designed and cooked meals for an inmate population of 2,800. As his confidence grew, Purifoy knew cooking would one day help him get back on his feet.

In 2004, Purifoy was released. He was 29 years old. At first, he landed odd jobs and took business classes at a local community college. He saved his money and started a small trucking company, JFP Trucking, which he ran for a few years.

Work was steady, but his heart wasn’t in it. “Cooking was my passion,” he says. The self-described “burger fanatic” couldn’t stop thinking about how the neighborhood was desperately in need of a great burger joint.

In 2012, Purifoy drove past an abandoned shack that used to sell ice cream. “I thought, well, there it is. I’m going to open my burger spot there.”

Purifoy sold JFP Trucking to raise capital. He also received a $50,000 grant from the city and drummed up additional help from family. Two years later, after putting a total of nearly $100,00 into renovations, he opened 15th & Chris.

Today, the business has 10 employees, including a few workers who have served time in prison. “These are people from all walks of life. They’ve been to prison and just need a chance now for a fresh start,” says Purifoy. “They need jobs.”

Purifoy starts his day shortly after 5 a.m., helping his wife Latasha get their five young children ready for school. After that, he heads to the restaurant where he cooks and helps serve the food.

The business is now profitable and Purifoy is looking to expand, he says. Last year, he bought a food truck to cater events, but now he is using it every day to sell his burgers around town.

Up next: To open another restaurant in Rockford, one with more indoor space so he can offer table service. Across the parking lot from 15th & Chris is Penguin Foods, a third-generation meat shop and catering business.

“He buys ground beef and sausages from us for his restaurant,” said owner John Ciembronowicz. Purifoy, in turn, uses the freezers in Ciembronowicz’s shop to store his supplies.

“We help each other out,” says Ciembronowicz. “The way he’s turned his life around is incredible. And he’s helped to revitalize this area, too…Small businesses like ours are vital to this community.”

Purifoy is trying to give back to the community in other ways, too.

“I speak with inner city kids just like me and I’m very upfront about my life story,” he says. “I tell them that education is everything. If you know better, you do better in life.”

Source: CNN Money

How To Make A Black Panther Princess Shuri Doll

March 5, 2018

1 min read

The Froggy Stuff duo are creative minds who love doll fashion, home decor, art, photography, and crafts. We recently came across a video of how they made a Princess Shuri doll and we had to share!

You can see more of their work on their Facebook page.

How Statement T-Shirts Unite Black History, Culture, and Fashion

March 4, 2018

4 mins read

Before anything went “viral,” the “It’s a Black Thing. You Wouldn’t Understand” T-shirt went viral. During my ’90s college years, everyone I knew had one or wanted one, or had an opinion about the message—whether the T-shirt was simply cotton printed with words, an emblem of black pride, or a divisive tool that should be banned in schools.

t-shirt

You could see it at historically black colleges and universities, and it was sold on street corners or in stores that peddled leather Africa medallions, black soap, essential oils, and mixtapes.

Decades later, I still have my “It’s a Black Thing” T-shirt as apparel–artifact. I bought one secretly at a black expo, despite my parents’ objections; they thought it would attract undue and unfriendly attention in my Southern hometown (and they were right), but I thought I was grown, and I liked it.

Since then, other shirts with something to say have made their way into my wardrobe: at least three #BlackGirlMagic selections; an “Unapologetically Black” shirt from Black Youth Project 100; a 10-year-old “Black Nerds Unite” shirt; and a vintage purple jawn that features an iron-on decal (remember them?) of a melaninated Barbie with a Farrah Fawcett–style winged hairdo.

And I’m not bragging or anything, but I do have a #BlackGenius one, too. Each one declares some facet of my identity: Black, female, bookish, quirky, unconcerned with dressing up, and more than happy to wear my support of Black institutions across my chest.

The statement T-shirt for, by, and about black folks seems to be having a renaissance. Last July, celebrities like Serena Williams, rapper Remy Ma, and actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and Yara Shahidi donned Maya Angelou–inspired “Phenomenal Woman” T-shirts to promote Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. That same summer, Twitter erupted in memorable memes when a style writer discovered that online retailer Zazzle was using white models to sell T-shirts related to black culture.

Their hypervisibility is also a matter of sheer volume: search Etsy for “Black Girl Magic t-shirt” and you’ll get 1,900 results including sequined tops, “I Am Black History” shirts, and a Wakanda-themed “Classy Like Nakia, Fight Like Okoye, Invent Like Shuri” number; Amazon boasts even more options.

This form of material culture has always been a barometer of black civic culture and creativity—think Black Power T-shirts in the 1960s. Now, in 2018, there are shirts that list the names of black luminaries past and present, memorial shirts that mourn people killed by police and demand justice, contemporary riffs on “Black Is Beautiful,” and reprints of classic slogans like “Black by Popular Demand.”

So why has the humble T-shirt—an item that literally came out (from under men’s shirts) in the early twentieth century—emerged as such a fashionable force of nature among all manner of “skinfolk,” from millennials to 40-something professionals?

The answer lies in both the historical and the utterly contemporary, say experts in black popular history, culture, and aesthetics. The T-shirt renaissance is part social media, part outraged expression at anti-black violence, and the latest manifestation of a black public sphere in which apparel is political.

BY CYNTHIA GREENLEE

Read the rest on ELLE.com

Students of Color Need to See More Teachers of Color. That Shouldn’t Be Controversial.

March 4, 2018August 20, 2021

5 mins read

I spent most of my first year of grad school sitting in the back row of class with my hood up. There were nearly 40 of us in the cohort. Two were Black.

My hoodie was an act of silent dissent. Today, I completely understand when my students want to do the same, even with me in front of the room. Academia and public schools are spaces where people of color often feel underrepresented, unwelcome and unheard.

From third grade through high school, I was a student in a series of neighborhood public schools. Afterward, I went to community college and then on to a public liberal arts college where I earned my bachelor’s and eventually my master’s degree. Each phase in my educational journey shared two characteristics:

The further I progressed, the fewer Black and Brown classmates I had.
As I progressed, regardless of the demographics of the student population, the faculty and administrators were uniformly nearly all White.

That needs to change.

An organization I am part of, the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, recently released videos designed to provoke conversations that will lead to this kind of change. Called Courageous Conversations About Race in Schools, the videos provide an effective starting point for real discussions that should be happening in schools—particularly in colleges and universities—across this country.

Research tells us that upwards of 80 percent of U.S. teachers are White. Different research tells us that nearly 80 percent of teachers are female. Obviously, those Venn diagrams overlap in a largely White and female workforce.

At the same time, because of higher birth rates among immigrant populations and the “mysterious phenomenon” of disproportionately high numbers of White children in private schools, the majority of the population of students in public school are students of color, and those numbers are headed even higher, based on enrollment numbers in lower grades.

Schools systems need to do a better job of attracting and retaining effective teachers of color. Students of color need to see more people of color in positions of expertise and authority, and teachers need to be conversant and literate in the cultural traditions that are present in their classrooms. None of these statements should be controversial.

The lack of representation is an equity issue, and to resolve it we can look to lessons elsewhere in our society. During the Vietnam War the Pentagon realized that majority Brown platoons of soldiers and Marines wouldn’t take life-or-death orders from a uniformly White officer corps. The Pentagon thus underwent an intentional effort to diversify the officer corps. Since then, the Pentagon has submitted amicus curiae briefs in every major affirmative action case before the U.S. Supreme Court because they understand that representation matters.

TIME FOR A REPRESENTATION DISRUPTION

The word “disruption” gets hurled around frequently in business and increasingly in education. Usually, it’s about handing Silicon Valley tech bros a metric-ton of venture capital to sprinkle the #EdTech™ fairy dust of the moment. But I’m going to argue that when it comes to teacher diversity and representation in schools, we actually need disruption.

In my neck of the woods the numbers are especially grim: There are only about 800 Black teachers in all of Washington State. In my 12-year teaching career, I have never worked with another Black male general education teacher.

There’s no reason for me to be alone. We see talented students of color all over higher education because universities know how to recruit them. As Jeff Duncan-Andrade says, “Look at any college football or basketball team and tell me colleges don’t know how to recruit Black talent. When I was a kid I thought Georgetown was an HBCU.”

But it can’t just be student athletes. We need to bring in students who can increase teacher diversity. It’s imperative—and it’s well within our power.

By Nate Bowling for Education Post

Nate Bowling is a high school government teacher in Tacoma, Washington, who was named the 2016 Washington State Teacher of the year and a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. His blog is called A Teacher’s Evolving Mind.

First Black Owned Pet Store opens in Gary

March 1, 2018March 1, 2018

2 mins read

After 18 years as the owner and operator of a trucking company, Gary M. Carlton decided to pursue his dream of owning a pet store.

All Pet Supplies, the first Black owned pet store in Gary, Indiana, opened on February 23rd.

“I love animals and have always dreamed of opening a pet store in order to provide top quality pet products and services,” said Carlton.

“Pet parents want the best for their animal companions, a quality shopping experience, and good value when shopping for food and pet necessities. Now the citizens of Gary and surrounding areas do not have to travel far in order to purchase pet supplies, they can save time and gas and shop close to home.”

All Pet Supplies, located at 3982 Broadway, opened its doors to the local community and pet parents to celebrate its grand opening event. The store is the new go to place for pet food, toys and supplies. It also offers a broad range of pet food—from natural and holistic foods to popular grocery brands.

All Pet Supplies will feature pet supplies like fish tanks, birdcages, and reptile food, everything you need for your pets. The first 25 neighbors received a gift package and other free giveaways.

The opening events included fun activities, refreshments, raffles and music. In the future the store will host a variety of pet seminars, as well as “Puppies for adoption,” hosted by the Gary Humane Society.

All Pet Supplies features nearly 1,400 square feet of space, providing pet parents with a comprehensive line of pet products. The pet store’s future plans will be to offer various pet services that will be beneficial not only to your pet, but for the pet parents as well.

While All Pet Supplies is offering quality products to the community, the store will also aim to be a strong supporter of the local community.

Through a combination of supporting local events like, sponsoring causes that are important to community members, All Pet Supplies’ future plans are to work with local shelters and their animal adoption programs.

Source: The Chicago Crusader

Disney Donates $1 Million to Open STEM Centers in Honor of Black Panther Success

February 26, 2018

1 min read

In celebration of Black Panther’s overwhelming box office success, The Walt Disney Company is donating $1 million to help develop the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs.

BGCA will use the funds to grow its national curriculum and expand its outreach by building 12 new STEM Centers of Innovation around the country, including in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Harlem, Hartford, Memphis, New Orleans, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Washington, and Watts.

Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger said in a statement, “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is a masterpiece of movie making and has become an instant cultural phenomenon, sparking discussion, inspiring people young and old, and breaking down age-old industry myths.”

“It is thrilling to see how inspired young audiences were by the spectacular technology in [Black Panther], “so it’s fitting that we show our appreciation by helping advance STEM programs for youth, especially in underserved areas of the country, to give them the knowledge and tools to build the future they want.”

BGCA’s Centers of Innovation offer a variety of hands-on experiences for youth interested in learning about advanced technologies, including 3D printing, robotics, and video production.

The record-breaking film has earned $400 million in North America so far.

Black Owned Venture Capital, Private Equity & Angel Investment Firms

February 26, 2018December 28, 2022

8 mins read

Less than 1% of American venture capital backed founders are Black and the percentage of Black people in decision making roles within the venture capital arena is not much higher.

This lack of diversity within investment firms ultimately translates to a lack of diversity in the companies that they invest in.

The good news is that there are a growing number of Black owned venture capital and other investment firms run by people of color who understand that Black founders present a large and untapped market.

These investors make it a point to include Black startups in their portfolio, and in some cases, focus solely on underrepresented entrepreneurs.

Black Owned Venture Capital, Private Equity & Angel Investment Firms

Collab Capital is an investment fund leveraging financial, human, and social capital to help founders build sustainable, technology enabled businesses

Collab Capital Managing partners Barry Givens, Jewel Solomon Burks and Justin Dawkins

Black Star Fund is an angel/venture fund that focuses primarily on early-stage technology companies.

Serena Ventures focuses on early stage companies and giving them the opportunity to be heard.

GenNx360 Capital Partners is a private equity firm that focuses its investments in industrial and business services companies in the U.S. middle market.

Daphne Dufresne-Managing Partner – GenNx360

Authentic Ventures is a seed and early stage Venture Capital Firm that believes that a strong, inclusive network of founders, operators, and investors can accomplish great things.

Lindsay Lee, Founder & Managing Partner of Authentic Ventures

Impact America Fund is an investment company that funds market opportunities that use technology to enhance the lives of all Americans.

Kesha Cash – Founder and General Partner – Impact America Fund

645 Ventures is a seed to Series A VC firm that applies a data-intensive approach to investing in top software and Internet companies.

Nnamdi Okike, Co-Founder & General Partner – 645 Ventures

Backstage Capital is a venture capital fund that invests in new companies led by underrepresented founders in the U.S.

Arlan Hamilton –
Founder & Managing Partner – Backstage Capital

Harlem Capital Partners is a diversity focused venture capital fund that invests in early stage companies focused on tech-enabled services, retail, and real estate.

Harlem Capital co-founders, Henri Pierre-Jacques and Jarrid Tingle.

Precursor Ventures operates as an early-stage venture capital firm. The company invests in seed and early-stage consumer, digital health, education, Fintech, hardware, and SaaS companies.

KICVentures is an investment holding company that creates, invests and manages several portfolio companies in the health-tech sector.

Dr. Kingsley R. Chin — Managing Partner & CEO – KICVentures

Fairview Capital Partners is a leading venture capital and private equity investment management firm. They implement innovative fund of funds, co-investment, and customized investment strategies for institutional investors.

JoAnn H. Price – CO-FOUNDER / MANAGING PARTNER of Fairview Capital Partners

The Bronze Venture Fund makes and manages innovative investments that align strong financial returns with positive social impact.

Stephen DeBerry – founder and chief investment officer – The Bronze Venture Fund

DiverseCity Ventures (Sacramento, CA) invests in scalable, technology-enabled companies that have a social, economic, or environmental impact and high potential for outsized returns.

Cross Culture Ventures invests in and develops companies that fuel shifts in cultural trends and behaviors within an increasingly diverse global marketplace.

Marlon Nichols – Co-founder/ Managing Partner- Cross Culture Ventures

Vista Equity Partners is a private equity and venture capital firm focused on financing and forwarding software and technology-enabled startup businesses.

Base Ventures is a seed-stage fund investing in technology companies.

Reinventure Capital is a growth-stage equity and debt investment practice focusing on founders of color and women.

Edward Dugger III –
founding partner and President – Reinventure Capital

Syncom Venture Partners is a leading venture capital firm primarily focused on growth stage investments in emerging and underserved segments of the media and communications industry.