Raven White - 1st Place Winner
Raven White is the founder of Brown Sugar Cafe & Books. It’s an Urban upscale bookstore that bridges the gap between culture and community by providing a diverse space to cultivate young minds via literacy, art, and community engagement.
They also have Bookshop, an online bookstore with a mission to support local independent bookstores financially. Brown Sugar Cafe & Books believe that bookstores are essential to sustaining a healthy culture. It’s a reminder of how authors connect with readers, where people can discover new writers, and where children can get hooked on the thrill of reading and remember that for a lifetime. Brown Sugar Cafe & Books has sold over 3,000 books and has onboarded over 100 indie authors.
Melissa Pearson - 2nd Place Winner
Melissa Pearson is the founder of Pearson Rue Designs. Melissa created her company after finding out that her child had down syndrome. This had her thinking deeply about the quality of life and how he would navigate the world. After a deep search online, she realized there were limited interior design companies that specialized in serving individuals with special needs, people with physical limitations, and the aging population.
Pearson Rue Designs aims to change that. They specialize in creating beautiful, functional spaces that help individuals maintain independence. They plan to expand their expertise in designing for kids and adults with special needs.
Rachel Pierre - 3rd Place Winner
Rachel Pierre is the founder of Mommifaceted. Mommifaceted is a multicultural marketing and digital media agency that consults lifestyle brands to reach and connect with moms of color authentically. As a mom, Rachel noticed that women of color face unique experiences in motherhood, career, and life.
While other marketing firms know general marketing principles, they match those principles with their knowledge of how multicultural moms think, make buying decisions, and their lifestyles. Mommifaceted specializes in building connections with the #1 influencers in the world—moms!
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