By Dawn Scotland
The Truth Reporter
On Thursday June 13, The Black Wall Street Community Development hosted a Juneteenth speed funding event at TTEC at 6 p.m. The event, in partnership with Toledo JuneteenthNY, linked entrepreneurs to potential funders to help catapult themselves into the next level of their businesses.
Entrepreneurs, nonprofit owners, contractors alike had a chance to meet with and present their business pitches and plans to experts in the industry to match them with potential funding. The funders included both traditional and nontraditional funders.
Funders included:
- Marcus Goolsby LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation)
- Shawn St. Andre, PNC Bank
- Kathyrn Tucker, Fremont Federal Credit Union
- Jerome O’Neal, Entrepreneur
Participants spoke with each potential funder for five minutes in rounds for the hour-long event. The BWSCD plans to host more speed funding events in the future to continue to nurture the black business needs in the community.
Black Wall Street Community Development is an organization established by local Black-owned media – The Juice 107.3 radio station, The Sojourner’s Truth newspaper and Stalwart magazine. Started in 2023, the group has hosted a wealth of events and sessions to help empower the Black business community in NW Ohio.
The BWSCD mission statement “is to empower a community of business owners through activities such as mentorship, networking, leadership coaching and financial literacy initiatives for advocacy, support.”
During April and May, the group hosted a five-part series of events for Black entrepreneurs on topics pertinent to success and viability in today’s market. The sessions included such topics as “Scaling Your Biz,” “Brand Strategy” and “Financial Snapshot.” The session lead up to the epic speed funding event hosted this June.
To learn more about BWSDC visit Facebook @ Black Wall Street Community Development.
