Spelman alumna and former student trustee Mya Havard, C’2017, recently received a $100,000 award from Pharrell Williams' Black Ambition Prize to support her startup company.
Havard will use the funds to support her company Shea.d. Currently in the demo phase, Shea.d is designed to enhance Black buying power by helping shoppers find products they already use being sold by Black entrepreneurs. Essentially, Havard intends to inspire users to use their buying power for good. Shea.d browses while shoppers browse, and populates Black-owned alternative products to meet their needs.
"Shea’d is a browser extension that finds consumers conscious (Black-owned, sustainable, American-made) alternatives to products they are currently looking for online. With Shea’d, consumers don't have to break their existing shopping habits to be able to shop consciously," reports the founders.
During her time at Spelman, the former mathematics major and computer science minor served on the board of trustees from 2014 to 2017. After graduating from Spelman, Havard obtained a Master of Management Science and Engineering degree from Stanford University. She is currently a product manager at Twitter.
During her time at Spelman, Havard was involved with several organizations including the Student Ambassadors, Spelmanites and Tiaras, and the Louis Strokes Alliance Minority Program. She also worked as a research assistant in the political science department at Spelman and as a research intern at Delaware State University.
The Black Ambition Prize, which is in its first year, provides a platform for eligible entrepreneurs to access growth capital, pitch feedback and mentorship.