New Voices Foundation

🥁Drum roll please...Meet the Grand Prize Winner ($75,000) of the New Voices $150,000 POWER PITCH, VONTELLE Eyewear! 🎊Help us congratulate VONTELLE Eyewear and it's founder, Tracy V. Green on a well-executed pitch!🎊 VONTELLE Eyewear is a luxury eyewear company providing bespoke textiles & prints from the African Diaspora on optical frames and sunglasses. They offer sizes that compliment diverse faces, fulfill prescriptions and custom lens color/tints including blue light blocker lenses. In addition to their cash prize, Vontelle and the other winners will be receiving mentoring and coaching! FOLLOW VONTELLE Eyewear to support the growing company and keep tabs on their journey. #NewVoicesPowerPitch #PurposeAccessCapitalExpertise #visionandmission #WeLoveUs #ESSENCEFest2024

Guys, please remember investors are not your fairy godmothers. They're not interested in slow, steady growth. They want an EXIT. They want your company to get acquired or go public so they can cash out their investment – and make a hefty profit. This is how the equity game works. So, what does this mean for you? - Validate your exit potential. If you can't envision a clear path to an exit, whether through acquisition or IPO, then equity investment might not be the right path for you at this stage. - Explore alternative funding options. Consider bootstrapping, loans, or grants if your business model doesn't lend itself to a high-growth exit. - Don't get blinded by the hype. Remember, equity investment comes with strings attached. Are you prepared to give up control and potentially change your company's direction to satisfy investors? Remember: Equity investment is not the only path to success. Don't get caught in the exit strategy trap. Focus on building a sustainable, profitable business that serves your customers. If an exit opportunity arises naturally, then great. But don't make it your sole focus from day one. The takeaway? Choose your funding wisely. Understand the expectations of equity investors, and make sure they align with your long-term goals for your company.

A worthwhile read about ESSENCE's Black Women In Business Dinner: https://lnkd.in/e5WPYETk "Black women mean business. And the inaugural ESSENCE Black Women in Business Dinner was a testament to the exceptional achievements of Black women across various industries. Hosted at the Four Seasons New Orleans, the private ceremony honored four trailblazing women: Serena Williams, who received the Investor of the Year Award, Thasunda Brown Duckett, who was named CEO of the Year, Esi Eggleston Bracey, who earned the Transformer of the Year Award, and Laysha Ward, who was recognized as the Community Investment Pioneer. " #PurposeAccessCapitalExpertise #BlackWomeninBusiness

Did you catch the kick off of the @uspto - 8 week Trademark Basics Boot Camp webinar series today? Don’t worry there’s more! Tuesdays from 2-3:30 PM ET from July 9 to August 27, 2024. Register today. We are discussing trademarks: TM fundamentals, searching, drafting, post registration, etc. It’s FREE! https://lnkd.in/g_-6GqNY 👱🏾♀️®️✌🏾

Walking down the vibrant streets of NOLA, indulging in mouth-watering food, and soaking in the incredible energy – what an unforgettable experience! 🎉 I had the honor of speaking on the SOKO stage and at the New Voices Learning Lab w/ Target sharing my journey and the story of Play Pits with so many wonderful people. It's moments like these that remind me why I started this journey. 💛 Thank you, Essence, New Voices Foundation and Target for the amazing memories and for letting me connect with so many passionate souls. Until next time, NOLA! ✨ Watch the full Day 1 & 2 Essence Vlogs on our Youtube Channel. https://lnkd.in/eFabxUt5

Coming off the heels of our New Voices "Release the Pressure" Health Innovators Hub at ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2024™️ which focused on linkages between Black Maternal and Heart Health, this Essence Communications Inc. article piqued our interest. https://lnkd.in/gB7RvSNi Through the New Voices "Release the Pressure" Health Innovators Hub, we are working toward increasing access to and knowledge of quality innovative care being provided by Black founders for Black Maternal Health. It is interesting to see how others are working to address these issues. “Like so many Black women, I was unaware of the risks I faced while pregnant,” Felix wrote. “According to the CDC, in 2021 the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 2.6 times the rate for white women. About five days before I gave birth to Camryn, I was having Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I mentioned that my feet were swollen. As we went around the table, the women shared their experiences during pregnancy. My cousin said she also had swollen feet. My mom didn’t. Not once did someone say, ‘oh, well, that’s one of the indicators of preeclampsia.’ None of us knew. When I became pregnant, my doctor didn’t sit me down and tell me, ‘these are things that you should look for in your pregnancy, because you are at a greater risk to experience these complications.’” #BlackMaternalHealth #PurposeAccessCapitalExpertise

This year during @EssenceFest, we had the pleasure of expanding our support of Louisiana-based entrepreneurs through our partnership with the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC). NOBIC empowers Louisiana innovators to create successful biotech businesses by providing them access to customized commercialization services, premier facilities, and a comprehensive support network. On Sunday, July 7th, in the @NewVoicesFamily Entrepreneur Hub, we hosted the New Orleans BioInnovation Center Life Sciences Meetup. Wherein there was a panel discussion showcasing the experience and expertise of four dynamic Black life science startup founders: -Jonathan Alexander Brown, l'école AI -Dr. Trivia Frazier, PhD, MBA, Obatala Sciences -Dr. Christopher Marrero, Shotel Medical, Inc. -Dr. Tiffany St. Bernard, SOCAi Labs The event was expertly moderated by Victoria Adams Phipps of JPMorganChase. The Meetup was followed by the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Luncheon held at NOBIC on Tuesday, July 8th. This event which featured a panel discussion that included our New Voices Foundation Director of strategy, partnerships, and communication- Marie Clark furthered the discussion of how our programs can best support New Orleans’ Black entrepreneurial ecosystem by building community and providing access to funding. We are grateful to NOBIC for partnering with us and very much encouraged by the impact these conversations will have. #Essence30 #WeLoveUs #Partnerships #louisianabasedbusinesses #newvoices #blackbusinessopportunities #blackscientistsmatter9h

Every CEO/Founder has a pivotal moment during their entrepreneurial journey where the vision become completely clear and for me that was at @essencefest where we served and educated about BP management and decreasing CVD risk factors in the African American community. Thank you Comerica Bank , The Dallas Morning News Kayla Nimer, @roncorning for highlighting our story. Thank you New Voices Foundation American Medical Association, @essencefest for the opportunity to serve! 🙌🏾 Full Interview in August 27th #cardiacfitt #dallas #comerica #businessstory #essence #newvoices #cardiac #healthequity

Talk to me nicely! 💅🏾 Attending and participating in the 30th anniversary of #EssenceFest was a true honor and probably the biggest highlight in my career. An event filled with inspiration and a celebration of Black excellence and joy, the energy there was truly unparalleled. Being surrounded by Black women, some of whom are my sisters from PACE Bootcamp that I finally met in person, at various stages of their entrepreneurial journeys in a relaxed, supportive environment was incredibly uplifting. Moderating a panel was THE highlight, and I was paired with some of the most incredible, hardworking, talented, knowledgeable entrepreneurs. And to be able to introduce and demo SheNotedd was the icing on top. My experience at Essence Fest reaffirmed my belief in the power of community and support among women entrepreneurs. It reminded me that we are all on this journey together. Just a few months ago, I set a goal to begin my speaking engagement journey at Essence Fest. Today, I am thrilled to say I have achieved that goal 🙌🏾 None of this would have been possible without the opportunities made available and support of the New Voices Foundation/#NewVoicesFamily, Marie Clark and Ariane Turner. Thank you all so much! 🙏🏾