Aireane Montgomery

GAEEJ, Georgia Educators for Equity and Justice

GAEEJ is committed to rejuvenating the prestige of the teaching profession and ensuring psychologically safe, inclusive work environments and classrooms for Black educators and students across Georgia. Their Melanated N’ Educated Programming establishes an extensive Black teacher pipeline. Their goal is to align the number of Black educators with the proportion of Black students in classrooms statewide, while recognizing that all students deserve a just and rigorous education. To date, the venture has raised over $215,000 and is run by a team of 5 employees to support its initiatives.

Alicia Rivera

Feeding GA Families’ Community Learning Center (CLC)

Feeding GA Families’ Community Learning Center (CLC) serves homeless and minimally housed individuals in Georgia through development programs focused on career readiness and job training. With a focus on employment rates, retention, and meeting basic needs, the initiative aims to double its outreach in underserved communities, collaborate with local employers, and leverage the 2024 Truist Foundation Fellowship for capacity building, network access, and enhanced awareness on the work they are leading forward. In 2023, the venture served over 1.2 million meals.

Erin Smith

The Smith Enterprise

The Smith Enterprise is focused on redistributing Black wealth into the community through collaborations with sectors like agriculture, logistics, insurance, real estate, and construction, providing crucial tools for business success across Georgia. The enterprise aims to create accessible jobs, redefine traditional work hours, and empower team members to become partners, not just employees. Despite facing challenges during the pandemic, the venture rebounded in Georgia, securing new clients and partners – including Young Democrats of Dekalb.

Ernest Comer III

E Howard Co Professional Innovations

E Howard Co Professional Innovations collaborates with highly ambitious servant leaders to offer strategic planning and cohort experiences that adopt an asset-based and human-centered approach to enhance organizational capacity for significant impact. The array of services they offer include strategic planning support, staff and board retreat facilitation, individualized executive guidance, interim executive leadership, and facilitation of employee learning experiences. To date, the venture has raised $120,000.00 to support its efforts.

Kayla Life

The RebrandLand Community Innovation Center

The RebrandLand Community Innovation Center is on a mission is to serve as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship for Atlanta community members. They offer a diverse array of technology-focused programs, including coding classes, digital literacy courses, and STEAM initiatives, alongside comprehensive entrepreneurship support that includes courses, small business accelerators, and access to capital resources. To date, they have raised $3,000 in capital and support 50+ entrepreneurs.

Keena Pierre

Prep Capital

Prep Capital is committed to addressing the racial wealth divide by targeting statistically underfunded Black and Latinx entrepreneurs in underrepresented U.S. regions, with less than 1% of venture funding currently reaching founders of color. The venture provides education in capital readiness and deploys funds through a variety of investment vehicles and catalytic capital financing options such as convertible debt, recoverable grants, and equity. Keena has an Alternative Investments Executive MBA from Emory University Goizueta Business.

La’Quata Sumter

STEAM Thru Drones

STEAM Thru Drones addresses the racial gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education, focusing on practical learning experiences and diverse representation. Using innovative drone technology, the venture organizes engaging drone education shows and in-school field trips for students, fostering hands-on experiences and enhancing skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity. To date, the venture has impacted 5,026 diverse students across 243 schools and organizations.

Nnamdi Ihenacho

NSTAR Technologies

NSTAR Technologies is on a mission to empower immigrants across Gerogia, facilitating their entry into high-income tech careers. Through targeted training and community support, the organization aims to create a pathway for success, fostering not just skill development but also a collaborative environment crucial for sustained growth. To date, NSTAR Technologies has raised $250,000 in capital and trained approximately 75 students over the last three years. Notably, 80% of program alumni are currently employed in their trained areas.

Sherrell Byrd

SOWEGA RISING

SOWEGA RISING is dedicated to elevating Southwest Georgia’s quality of life metrics by fostering rural revitalization, community organizing, education, and advocacy for human and civil rights. The center plans to offer co-working spaces, meeting lounges, state-of-the-art commercial kitchens, and specialized studios for online commerce, to provide inclusive and equal opportunities for everyone in the community. The venture is currently awaiting appropriations funding at the congressional level to begin the building process of their center.

Victoria Huynh

Georgia AAPI Hub

The Georgia AAPI Hub is dedicated to enhancing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) nonprofits across Georgia by providing technical assistance, grant support, and strategic capacity. Central to fostering community stability and growth, the Hub offers trainings, mini grants, partnerships, and a centralized resource database for these underserved groups. Thus far, the venture has reached over 944 individuals through both in-person and online training sessions to mitigate the current operational gaps and funding shortages within the AAPI populations across Georgia.