TheList.Black wins summer Early Risers Academy cohort pitch

September 4, 2020

Thursday night, Carolyn Seymour, founder of TheList.Black, won her Early Risers Academy cohort’s virtual pitch night, taking home $1K.

TheList.Black answers the call for commerce with a cause. The Black business directory provides a vehicle for business visibility with the goal of advancing the economic status of a people to spark the catalyst of socioeconomic change. TheList.Black is the new home for all consumers, Black businesses and Black professionals, Carolyn writes.

“I started TheList.Black because I wanted to see my community thrive and change for the better. Black enterprise is one of those vehicles that can drive us,” Carolyn said. “I’m so grateful for the support of Early Risers Academy, that you see the vision, and that I want to make a difference, and want to support me further. I’m just blown away.”

Early Risers Academy is a free, 10-week, pre-accelerator program designed to take participants from business idea to business launch. It is run by a team from Launch Dayton partner Wright State Applied Research Corporation.

Participants complete Kauffman FastTrac coursework from the nationally-renowned Kauffman Foundation, receive pitch coaching and hands-on mentoring, weekly discussions with successful entrepreneurs and experts, & access to Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

These workshops can also be valuable for founders early in their small business journey, or who jumped right into their business without formally developing the plans behind it and are now discovering they need some of that paperwork in place to grow.

Other summer cohort graduates included:

• Karol Brown, launching Harriet Tubman 3LC, Ladies, Leadership & Legacy Coach;

• Earnestine Sledge, owner of Abednego Security Solutions, providing armed and unarmed guards for business owners that are in need of protecting their assets.

• James Cremeans, launching Go PLAY!, a themed indoor play area where parents and their children can enjoy entertainment for the whole family;

• Chris James, launching Cheeky’s Pizzeria, a minority-owned, farm-to-table pizzeria built to serve our city’s food desert;

• Nick Vuto, owner of NV Project Solutions, specializing in historical plaster restoration with excellent craftsmanship and high quality lime plaster.

“Early Risers Academy is designed for aspiring founders in any industry,” Project Manager KeAnna Daniels said. “We’re particularly excited to work with more women and minority founders.”

We have one more general cohort and one more tech cohort in 2020. Learn more & apply for Early Risers Academy here.