Be Nimble Foundation, a 501(c)(3) social enterprise that creates fully diverse and inclusive tech ecosystems, held its inaugural Black Innovation Week, kicking off on Monday, July 19th and culminating in the organization’s sold-out Garden Pardi fundraiser on Saturday, July 24th.
During the week, a cohort of 12 Black-led startups gave their pitch presentations at the new High Alpha office located in Indianapolis’ Bottleworks District. The foundation awarded five entrepreneurs with a combined total of $15,000 in non-dilutive funding as well as technical assistance and an MVP to test their new ideas.
Winners of the Pitch Pardi competition include:
- Capture Noire - a photography editing suite optimized for darker skin tones allowing users to capture and edit portraits.
- GemCity Selfies - a selfie-playground using vibrant colors and interactive props to increase mental wellness.
- For Every Buy - a discounted e-commerce marketplace for minority and women-owned businesses.
- Align - a mental health smartphone application designed to create a better future for teens.
- BUBL - a consumer application combining communication and travel/trip planning tools to ease the heavy burden of being the "trip planner" for your family, friends, or team.
- Le Nord Noirl - a line of aperitifs personally crafted from farm to bottle that seeks to combat food deserts.
- Soul Curly Kit - a customizable natural hair care subscription box that features hair products, tools, and accessories.
- ROJOrganics - a line of products focused on embracing the authenticity and beauty that lies within each of us, naturally and organically.
- Queue0 - an online education platform where students can connect one-on-one with their school educators without the need for an appointment.
- Pink Champaigne Laundry Services - a pickup and drop off laundry business with an app to give customers the ability to schedule pickups and watch the progress of their laundry being done.
- Blüm Relocation Technologies - a project management software tool for the moving/relocation process, and a box of new home essentials delivered the day you move to your new home.
- Ardhio - a blockchain-based platform for fractional ownership in real estate.
On behalf of High Alpha, we want to congratulate all of the entrepreneurs and the Be Nimble team on an energizing week. To see a glimpse of the Pitch Pardi event, watch the video filmed and produced by Gregory Ash-Buck, CEO at Insta Sync Studios.
Featured video by Insta Sync Studios
To learn more about Black Innovation Week, read the Be Nimble Foundation’s press release.