WASHINGTON, DC, June 7, 2023 (Globe Newswire) — THE PITCH™ contest did not disappoint.

Hosted by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) team of the Thurgood Marshall College Foundation (TMCF), the annual in-house and entrepreneurship training for 197 students from 43 historically black colleges and universities demonstrated a dynamic Exciting and creative presentations were made by enthusiastic partners who also served as speakers and judges. After the winning team was announced, there was a lot of excitement.

The competition included the top 10 of the third pool of 50 MetaScholars, the largest pool to date. With 10 weeks leading up to the final competition, MetaScholars has completed his 10-week foundational learning and skill-building on the Metaverse, Blockchain and Web3 technologies, equipping him with the skills he needs to succeed in a rapidly evolving business environment. I was.

With THE PITCH™’s expansion into the Metaverse, TMCF will create an immersive space designed to prepare emerging in-house talent and entrepreneurs for the jobs of the future while unlocking opportunities for corporate engagement. We were excited to launch CampusONE, our ecosystem. CampusONE, TMCF’s permanent metaverse presence, is the next iteration of I&E’s Web 3 programming. It serves as a hub for all Web3 programming, including MetaScholars and Monolith Garden.

During the competition, teams develop solutions to business, social and educational challenges and pitch their ideas to an expert jury of entrepreneurs, small business owners, executives, venture capitalists and other investors. Did. The celebrity judge for the final round of the contest, which included six teams (four in-world teams and his two metaverse bases), was writer-actor Hill Harper. Mickea Jackson, CBRE Managing Director. Shantel Powell, Founder and CEO of @PlayPits.

The winning team, the Environmental Justice League, developed Aerobloom to filter pollutants from the air and analyze emissions for a cleaner, better world. Their winning pitch earned team members $5,000 each.

Students represented the winning teams from two schools from Alabama A&M University, one each from Southern and A&M Colleges, Tennessee State University, Bluefield State University, and Virginia State University.

The victory confirmed the excellence one of the winning team’s students already knew was in him, even though he arrived at Winston-Salem with some trepidation.

Jadin Nicks, who attends Southern University and A&M College, said, “I have imposter syndrome with all these amazing businessmen here and I don’t know if I can fit in this crowd with these people. He said. “I’m in complete shock right now. It’s great to know your potential. When we first started the group, it was a great idea and you can take it, but it’s I thought it would be crazy to see it come to fruition and win.

“The difficult part was that the problem we had was finite, and there were so many different parts to tackle it and come up with a simple solution that people could agree on. In about 10 minutes. We explored three ideas and put together creative ideas that we see in the real world.This experience was everything for me.”

Students spend a memorable week on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, networking, learning, proposing solutions to real-world challenges, and gaining the critical knowledge needed to succeed beyond their college experience. I have acquired strong entrepreneurial, technology and business skills.

Culture Closet members of the second-place teams representing Alabama A&M University, Langston University, North Carolina A&T University, and Hampton University each won $2,000. Langston and Alabama A&M each had two students on this team. Culture Closet is a curated selection of emerging black-owned clothing brands that utilize artificial intelligence technology to allow consumers to try on clothes before they buy.

Third place went to the Sankofa Scholars, with students representing Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T University, Howard University, and Langston University, each winning $1,000. It was Sankofa Scholars with an idea for a new platform called SkillBridge. The platform provides high school students with job-related skills that will help them succeed in future internships and full-time employment during and after college.

The team included three members from Langston University.

Nalone Sumo of Southern University and A&M College and Leona Thompson of Howard University were selected as the best participants, each winning $1,000.

The total amount of cash handed out for this event was $72,500, including gift cards for all participants and real final round prizes. He also distributed $100,000 in technical awards, bringing his THE PITCH™ award total to $172,500 for all participating students.

Additionally, all student participants successfully onboarded to the Metaverse and received Meta-Quest 2 Oculus thanks to in-kind donations.

THE PITCH™ is a blend of technology and business acumen that brings together “techie” students interested in building mobile apps and developing technical skills to understand what it takes to be successful in business. attract business-minded students. The program aims to unearth the next generation of global entrepreneurs from the Black college community and train future innovators in HBCUs with the skills they need to create economic success.

“We are always grateful for the investments of our partners, including A James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, CBRE, Infosys, Wells Fargo, Wabtech, Toyota, Medtronic, Reynolds, TP Foundation, Rose International, E&J Gallo and Lowes. “We are purposefully engaging with our students to help THE PITCH™ succeed,” said George Spencer, TMCF Chief Innovation & Growth Officer. “This competition provides a great learning opportunity for The PITCH™ participants. I am thrilled to be leaving Salem.”

Rob Knox
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
robert.knox@tmcf.org