Pharrell Williams has announced the launch of Black Ambition, a non-profit organization aimed at providing support to Black and LatinX entrepreneurs across various industries.
“We need a voice,” Williams said during a recent press conference.
“We have the smallest slice of the American pie, in terms of ownership. The Asian dollar stays in this community for about 30 days; our Jewish brothers and sisters, their dollar stays in every community for 20 days. The African-American dollar stays in its community for six hours, because we don’t own much.”
Williams also launched two new initiatives which will be celebrated at a future event including the Black Ambition HBCU Prize and the Black Ambition Prize.
The Black Ambition HBCU Prize offers financial support and mentorship to current and former students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as they develop seed or early-stage ideas and launch companies in tech, design, healthcare, and consumer products and services. The grand prize winner will receive up to $250K, while other submissions will receive smaller prizes.
“Whether it’s a $250,000 Prize, or it’s a $15,000 Prize, if you win something, you are going to get mentorship, the strategic scaffolding, that you’re going to need to make sure that we are you know setting you up for the odds to be in your favor.”
For more info, head over to the official website, BlackAmbitionPrize.com.