*Black Entrepreneurs Day Presented by Chase and created by “Shark Tank”s Daymond John returns for its third year, filmed and streaming from Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater tonight October 27 at 7pm ET on BlackEntrepreneursday.com, Facebook and more.
Daymond joins the NAACP to put $25,000 grants into the pockets of eight Black entrepreneurs on the show.
Daymond started Black Entrepreneurs Day in 2020, in the wake of George Floyd. Wanting to help his community “build businesses instead of burning them” he developed the global streaming show to inspire, educate and provide bottom-line financial support to Black entrepreneurs around the country.
EURweb Spotlight host and iHeart radio on-air personality Jazmyn Summers was there to bring you the scoop.
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The show tonight brings iconic Black business celebrities and cultural icons to the stage including Tracee Ellis Ross, Shaquille O’Neal, Spike Lee, and Venus Willams who take part in “The General’s Game Changer Conversations” with Daymond exploring their stories of success, failure and wisdom on succeeding in business.
Legendary rapper Ice T of “Law & Order” fame makes a guest appearance in support of the effort.
You’ll catch Tiki Barber and JP Morgan Wealth Management talking about how to build generational wealth. Metta World Peace with Alibaba.com discussing how he is developing his personal brand and launching his new management company. Killer Mike comes through to help judge the live pitch competition with Shopify to award the 25,000 NAACP Powershift Grants.
You won’t believe who wins but spoiler alert it has something to do with Black children.
The show also includes a musical performance by rapper Big Sean who has several businesses and shouted out Daymond for giving back to help fledgling Black entrepreneurs.
Brand partners gathered by Daymond include: Chase, The General, Pepsi, Shopify, Adobe, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, T-Mobile, Google, Lowe’s, Alibaba.com, and Facebook.
Recipients of the grants include:
Mandi Masden owner of Apostrophe Puzzles in Brooklyn, New York . This grant was made possible by CNBC’s Jim Cramer. The Black-owned, women-led jigsaw company was founded in Brooklyn in 2019 in order to make fine art more inclusive, accessible and sustainable. The puzzles are responsibly sourced, environmentally conscious, made with 100% recyclable chipboard and printed with eco-friendly, non-toxic ink and can be found in 70 stores worldwide.
Niani Tolbert is owner of HireBlack which is a social impact organization for Black talent across different industries, specializing in Black women who are overlooked and underpaid. Her grant is made possible by The General.
Tara Darlyng is owner of Darlyng & Co., a tech-enabled, eco-lifestyle brand for children with products such as flashcards, haircare, skincare, oral care, and more. The grant made possible by Salesforce will allow her to extend their line and create more diverse products also to bring other small black-owned businesses together.
Demetrius Walker owns Meek’s Vegan Pizza LLC. Based in Houston, Demetrius started this business because of his son. He wants to make sure he had better options to eat that are cruelty-free. The grant made possible by Pepsi Stronger Together will help him grow nationally.
Quincy Watkins owns Milk and Honey Coffeehouses, a brick-and-mortar coffee shop with two locations in Wilmington. The grant made possible by T-Mobile for Biz will help him keep doors open and hire more folks from the local community.
Doreen Gardner owner of Papas Peanut Brittle in Kalamazoo, took over her parents’ shop after they both became ill. She carries on the family tradition of making peanut brittle every day with the 60-year-old family recipe. Her grant is made possible by Chase.
Daniel Jennings owner : Tiny Cottage Concept, LLC creates quality homes that are affordable and send them across the nation so families with modest incomes don’t have to struggle with bills. He also donated 10% of his profits towards providing homes for those in need and wants to help create wealth by showing others how to use tiny homes to invest in real estate or big profits. The grant given to the Mississippi businessman is made possible by Lowe’s.
Yeves Perez owner of Workbnb Inc. in Reno, NV. He started his businesses after helping his mother who had Airbnb in Reno. He launched an indirect app competitor to Airbnb for mid to long-term stays and traveling workers. His grant is made possible by JP Morgan Wealth Management.
Interview/article by Jazmyn Summers. Follow her @jaztalk1 on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. And please don’t forget to subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube.
