At Harlem Children’s Zone, we prepare our scholars for successful careers — empowering them with the tools and training to start their very own businesses.
Our budding entrepreneurs showed off what they learned, pitching their venture concepts for social impact at our first-ever Pitch Competition. The event was co-hosted by our Wealth Builds program and Run the Future, a partnership between Formation Ventures and Cambiar Education.
The Pitch Competition was the culmination of a four-week program that brought our high school scholars together from across HCZ programs to explore entrepreneurship and foundational business skills. At the conclusion of the program, scholars leveraged what they learned to develop a venture concept that confronts a critical issue in their community.
Here are the big Pitch Competition winners!
Rachael Owusu won first place for TherapAI, a platform that tackles bullying by providing a safe, neutral space for students and adults to discuss the issue and how it impacts them. The system assigns trained professionals to users when needed.
Massandje Samake won second place: for Ms. Samance, a skincare brand that serves highly melanated people. The product is designed to be affordable and accessible for people of color and treat their unique skin concerns, such as inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Sidik Mohammed won third place for Nutrirevive, a food distribution system that combats malnutrition and food insecurity in Black and brown communities by ensuring greater access to healthy food.