WASHINGTON, DC (NOVEMBER 8, 2022) – The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and
Stanley Black & Decker, with support from Lowes and Steelcase, announced pitch competition results from its Innovation Challenge held at the Steelcase Worklife Center in Chicago on October 19, 2022.
The 2.5-day intra and entrepreneurship training experience was held in conjunction with TMCF’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Program. The Fellows worked side-by-side with Stanley Black & Decker, Lowe’s, and Steelcase team members on real-world problems while developing design thinking skills and solving entrepreneurial challenges.
During the event, students went to workshops ran by entrepreneurs and participated in a business case competition. The Fellows also received mentorship and coaching. The selection of the 30 members of the cohort were hand-selected students from America’s publicly- supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). Overall, a total of $25,000 in prizes were awarded.
The winners and grant recipients include:
First Place: Blueprint (Dasani Stallworth, Elison Decarvalho, Kamsiyochukwu Arinze, Kenard Holmes) – $10,000. Each member of the winning team received $2,500.
Synopsis of Winning Idea: Creating an AI powered assistant named Kevin to streamline the Lowes return process. They created a demo of how Kevin would simplify the customer interface.
Second Place: Xponential (Henry Fowobaje, Jonathan Little, Nya Anderson, Elijah Smith, Martiara Boyd) – $7,500. Each member of the winning team received $1,500.
Third Place: Lowe-lty (Folaranmi Olawepo, James Franklin, Kaniel Richardson, Keshawn Johnson). Each member of the winning team received $750.
All other students who did not place received $250. The most outstanding performer of the challenge was Johnathan Little, who received $1,000. In 2019, Black Americans were becoming new entrepreneurs at a rate lower than that of their Latino and white counterparts, according to an analysis by Statista. I&E programs like the Stanley Black & Decker Innovation Challenge can be pivotal for young Black entrepreneurs because HBCUs play an outsized role in educating Black students. Recent data from McKinsey & Company shows that this kind of investment in HBCUs would profoundly affect the economy.
Training and developing the next generation of Black entrepreneurs is critical to TMCF’s vision and mission as an organization. Over the past seven years, nearly 1,000 students have participated in various I&E programs. Stanley Black & Decker is a leading $14.5 billion global diversified industrial with approximately 60,000 employees in more than 60 countries. The company knows that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are essential for fulfilling their purpose to honor, support, and advance those who
make the world.
The 2022 TMCF Stanley Black & Decker Innovation Challenge Fellows were:
Alabama A & M University
Amari Davis
Taiwo Olawepo
Folaranmi Olawepo
Kamsiyochukwu Arinze
Alabama State University
Dasani Stallworth
Michael Stallworth, Jr
Devian Stallworth
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Alan Graham III
Florida A&M University
Kenyatta Divine
Elison Decarvalho
Fisk University
Henry Fowobaje
Grambling State University
Darielle Clark
Langston University
Terrance Woodard
Mississippi Valley State University
Nya Anderson
Morgan State University
Emmanuel Ibeh
Shalom Dades
Martin Adu-Boahene
Norfolk State University
Elijah Smith
North Carolina A & T State University
Tori Johnson
Jonathan Little
Keshawn Johnson
Martiara Boyd
North Carolina Central University
James Franklin
Savannah State University
Elandria Richards
South Carolina State University
Kenard Holmes
University of the Virgin Islands – St. Thomas
Kaniel Richardson
About the Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest
organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic
partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs.
TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit:
www.tmcf.org.
