Erika has always been passionate storytelling and community building. After 10 years of working in New York's media industry Erika decided to add digital marketing to her unique set of experiences, leverage her industry know-how and build her dream company. Her media, marketing and advertising business emerged from the move. Erika now works to bring high quality and affordable media and advertising content to businesses often otherwise not able to obtain it.

Fredrick runs his own full-service barber shop, providing professional grooming and haircare services for both men & women. Services include haircuts and Keratin Smoothing Treatments, and since he has been learning how to do his own photo and video marketing during the pandemic, he now also offers headshots and portraits to his clients with their fresh cuts and styles. Fredrick's goal is to open a storefront barbershop.

Danielle has always been an artist and wanted to find a way to combine her creativity with practicality. Through completely original art including trays, coasters and more, Danielle hopes to bring light and warmth to her customers' homes. She is looking to continue to expand her repertoire to include tables, bookshelves and more while also extending her reach to customers throughout the US.

Erica and Maleka sell desserts that are made-to-order and made from scratch. They thoughtfully source all and have a menu that changes seasonally. They pride themselves in crafting unique flavors, sourcing organic ingredients, and creating rustic, simple, and elegant cakes for a wedding. When the pandemic happened they had to pivot into making pastries since most events were rescheduled, and they now have two locations: one in LA where Erica lives and one in the Bay area where Malaka lives.

While attending college, Surafel discovered and became fascinated with his Ethiopian background. Instead of getting a corporate job, he wanted to support the sustainable agricultural industry in Ethiopia and tell the story of the Ethiopian grain as a native. He is confident that in the long term his business would be able to attract public attention to the Ethiopian grain and culture.

Shari's intuitive interior design firm fuses her love for the modern lines of Scandinavian aesthetics with the passionate enthusiasm present in her native Caribbean design. Shari worked with several major design companies before deciding to start a company driven by her own vision. She works closely with each client to create welcoming spaces that are both beautiful and functional.

Ashlee was working as corporate transactional attorney when her family led her to uncover her true passion for cooking and healthy eating education. When her young son told her he'd decided to become a vegetarian, Ashlee began collecting and developing her own recipes, full of flavor, vitamin rich, and balanced. She moved away from practicing law and in 2019, collected her insight into an e-book. Ashlee has been working full time in the business, focusing on bringing vegan soul and comfort food recipes to her growing audience.

Bryan has created a digital marketplace that enables coaches and clients to engage in remote coaching sessions, both for personal and professional growth. His mission is to make coaching affordable and accessible for all. Bryan hopes to support and empower coaches to grow their business while making a difference in the lives of other professionals across the globe.

After spending years in the Bay Area arts scene, Ngozi found an opportunity to provide a truly unique space for his community. His business is the only multipurpose rental space in the area that operates a recording studio, photography studio, and event space in the same location. He sees his space as a unique opportunity to bring together disparate parts of the Oakland artistic community and bring value to East Oakland. Ngozi brings his passion for art and culture to his business, always looking for new ways to adapt his business and to inspire creativity.

Dionne created her line of beauty and self care products out of personal need. Her products are all handmade with natural and healing ingredients that promote self care and beauty without the health risks created by using artificial chemicals. Dionne believes that looking good does not mean sacrificing healthy skin, and she has designed her products to be both natural and fashionable.