Shark Tank Investor and FUBU Co-Founder Daymond John has launched a groundbreaking event called Black Entrepreneurs Day. Partnering with Chase for Business, The General Insurance, Pepsi, Cisco Webex, Quickbooks and Yappa, John will host what he calls a "virtual block party" on October 24. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from entrepreneurs such as Shaquille O'Neal, Jaime Foxx, LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union. Grammy winner Chance The Rapper will also perform during the virtual gathering.
"It’s like a big block party online,” John said.
“We're having a good time with it.”
To participate in the virtual celebration, participants must apply through John's website. The event is looking for passionate, determined entrepreneurs who are looking to learn and actively engage with the guest speakers.
“We're going to be looking for proof of concept, we're going to be looking for scalability, we're going to be looking for the passion and drive behind [the company],” John stated.
Among those who are selected, $25,000 NAACP Powershift Entrepreneur Grants will be awarded to select recipients. John will also offer one-on-one mentoring to select recipients.
“We're gonna be talking about failures,” John said.
“You're going to hear my challenges that I think a lot of people can relate to.”
Ultimately, the purpose of the event is to assist Black-owned businesses during a pandemic that is crippling more than 40% of Black-owned operations. John hopes that his virtual event can offer just a few bits of information that will help entrepreneurs not only survive, but thrive.
“Our goal is to help as many Black-owned businesses as we can survive this pandemic, and be in position to thrive when this crisis ends,” Chase Business Banking Managing Director Christopher Hollins said.
“The economic health of Black communities depends heavily on this.”
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