Nadine is the owner of a commercial cleaning business in New Jersey. She serves small businesses, corporations, and post-construction clean-ups in the NYC tri-state area. She uses sustainable products without harmful chemicals to clean properties, and has a consistent quality.
Cassi has been in the food industry for some time, and after preparing beautiful meals and hosting dinner parties for friends and family, she decided to begin working as a chef and started her catering business. Her motto is "eat with your eyes first" and she prides herself in curating beautiful plates and dishes and in experimenting with new food concepts. She has also received a lot of demand for her Cognac Butter Pecan syrup, and she hopes to continue expanding her food product offering.
Cheylaina owns an e-commerce site where she sells fashion-forward, quality clothing with different HBCU designs for alumni parents and their children. 12% of profits go back to the school featured on the item, and Cheylaina is expanding distribution by partnering with different retail brands across the US. She hopes to grow her business by acquiring a warehouse to store clothing, get her products into more retail stores, and find the right people to collaborate with on distributions and manufacturing.
Genesis and her father Lorenzo began selling their banana pudding on the sidewalks of Chicago area over 10 years ago, before deciding to move their product into grocery store freezer spaces. They pride themselves in offering gourmet locally-sourced frozen pudding available in a variety flavors, including the Original Southern-Style Banana Pudding. Their products have made it onto the shelves of many well-known stores, always selling out, and they hope to continue building on the success of the business and the loyalty of their customers.
Fanny is a clinical Ayurvedic specialist and licensed esthetician who is passionate supporting people of all genders who want to embrace aging with natural remedies that optimize their well-being, using the principles of Ayurvedic medicine to harmonize rejuvenation and relaxation. She offers a comprehensive treatment plan that gives clients the confidence of beautiful, healthy skin. She is passionate about her work, and hopes to continue growing her clientele and build out retail products to offer in addition to her services.
Kimberly is a self-taught visual artist and lifelong creative which lead her to start her own business where she makes custom pieces and adds her art - doodles, graffiti letter art, cartoons, and portraits - to anything from furniture, to fashion and accessories. She prides herself in creating pieces that are completely original, bold, bright, and colorful, and she hopes to continue growing her clientele as she builds out her inventory.
Emily and Taneesha provide professional development and consulting services to school districts globally, as well as to corporations and small businesses. Their trainings include trauma-informed practices, mental health awareness, and culturally responsive teaching and learning. Both Emily and Taneesha were educators and collectively have over 30 years of teaching experience, so they know first hand how valuable the conversations they are starting can be in the workplace.
Kari is a Spiritual Empowerment coach and mentor with a heavy focus on the LGBTQIA+ community, and specifically 'late bloomers' like herself. Her mission is to guide her clients through 'choppy waters' to live a life of freedom, love, acceptance and empowered authenticity. Her 1:1 program equips her clients with the tools, guidance and support to connect with their true authentic selves.
When Lenise decided to start her own art consulting business she drew on experience developed over a long career working for some of New York’s finest auction houses. That experience led her to realize that people of color are underrepresented as collectors of fine art and as mentors of rising young artists, and her business seeks to address that gap. Lenise provides advice to collectors and coaching to artists on how to establish themselves in the art community.
After graduating from design school, Fern noticed an untapped niche in luxury, sustainable intimate apparel. She uses unique attention to detail and French-influenced couture technique to create beautiful pieces that help individuals express their femininity regardless of gender.