Similar to crises and dramatic events of the past, people will reflect upon 2020 in terms of how COVID-19 personally impacted their lives or where they were and then how they responded. Just like so many accelerators and incubators across the country, early-stage innovator and investor partner Nex Cubed announced that its upcoming inaugural program to assist entrepreneurs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) will be virtual.
The HBCU Founder’s Summer Acceleration Program recently completed its application process with finalists making one last pitch to an external panel of partners and industry experts that included AT&T and Sway Ventures. The founders and their ventures selected for the program were in four core sectors: FinTech, EdTech, PropTech (Real Estate) and Digital Health.
These industries weren’t selected at random, according to Nex Cubed. They intentionally placed their focus on sectors that they view as “social determinants” and are in need of reform. They are seeking innovative startups having technologies that could impact those spaces.
Nex Cubed is now in the position to undertake such lofty goals, having established itself as a leader in early-stage innovation and acceleration in just three short years. Co-founders Kelsey Morgan Pasqualichio, Chief Growth Officer, and Kip Quackenbush, President & COO, began with a vision and then pulled together a team that created a global ecosystem of 3 industry-specific COEs, made 77 investments, established relationships with 45 partners, 50 strategic advisors, 50 investor advisors, and over 140 mentors.
They now tout a portfolio having an aggregate value of half a billion dollars with over 50% of the startups led by female and minority founders. This last point is of particular significance to the Nex Cubed team.
“Diversity and inclusion has always been important to us, and with over 50% of our portfolio being led by female and underrepresented founders, Nex Cubed is leading the industry through its exceptional companies,” said Marlon Evans, Nex Cubed CEO.
All of the chosen founders will receive the technical resources they need to develop an MVP, a physical working space in Silicon Valley, $10,000 in non-dilutive capital, and over $1 million in discounts and service provider perks. The $10,000 and $1 million in perks serve a very important pain point—the difficulty of women and minorities having access to capital.
The upcoming cohort is made up of:
- Jovante Ham, Prairie View A&M, Mel x Studio
- Leslie Winston, North Carolina A&T State University, Monocle
- Perewari Pere, Lincoln University, Trameter
- Gerard Charlot and Trevor Alexander, Morgan State University, Diversity Health NetwoRx
- Imani Hinton and Ajané Hinton, North Carolina A&T State University and Florida A&M University respectively, Now Open App
- Candice Blacknall, Morehouse School of Medicine, GABA
- Gerard Bellot, University of the Virgin Islands, Theia.ia
- Adéwole Travittlee, Morehouse College, TradeSmart
- Jonathan Swindell, Grambling State University, The HBCU HUB App
Nex Cubed based in California has enrolled 350 students and alumni from over 50 HBCUs. The enrollees participate in industry webinars and virtual ideation sessions led by corporate executives, successful entrepreneurs, and top-tier investors.
On March 18, 2021 Nex Cubed will host online the HBCU Founder’s Summer Acceleration Program.
