Students
Campus and Community
Spelman College Celebrates Three Students for Their Win in the Second Annual CBE New Venture Competition
An exciting and innovative night where students advocated for improving literacy, the promotion of safer braiding hair, and easier methods for finding safe off-campus housing for AUC students
Spelman College recently hosted the Center for Black Entrepreneurship’s (CBE) second annual New Venture Competition (NVC) on Apr. 23, with Eden Wilson, C’2028, winning an awarded $5,000 in first place with an additional $1,000 for the audience choice; Kharma Wilson, C’2029, winning $3,000 in the second place idea track; and Faith Sonime, C’2027, winning $5,000 in the second place growth track.
The NVC is a dynamic showcase of student innovation, entrepreneurship, and venture creation. After weeks of workshops and mentorship, 10 finalist teams pitched their ventures to a panel of judges including founders, investors, and industry leaders. There were two tracks for the finalists: growth and idea; the idea track is for ventures in early development with no revenue yet, and the growth track is for ventures generating revenue. Finalists competed for up to $30,000 in non-dilutive funding, along with mentorship and continued support from CBE.
“It was kind of a rigorous or very time-consuming program in a sense, but that’s what entrepreneurship is, really finding ways to balance school, work, family, and other responsibilities,” said Jordyn Weaver, program manager of student programs at the CBE. “The ones who were selected as finalists are the ones who showed commitment and dedication. They also had great companies, and they scored high in their application.”
Eden Wilson, founder and CEO of Granted Reading, expressed her deep passion for students in K-12 who have a learning disability by formulating a solution to this growing concern. Upon entering Spelman as a freshman and becoming an Innovation Lab fellow, the computer science major learned about the NVC and became determined to bring what started off as a fervent idea to a fully realized and backed AI-powered tool.
“I saw the NVC as a huge opportunity to not only get some funding and bring my dream to life but to show the AUC and the world my love for special education,” said Eden Wilson. “This win is a huge step forward for making Granted Reading a reality, with my solution validated by the audience as the audience choice and cementing that this win is really a win for the students who have a learning disability. As I continue my education, I remember who it’s for and that it’s actually for their education and accomplishing my goals as I matriculate through Spelman and make Granted Reading a reality.”
Kharma Wilson, founder and CEO of YARD, realized there was a prevalent issue on Spelman’s campus and across the country with students having difficulty finding off and on campus housing. Kharma Wilson made it her goal to create the first-ever AUC marketplace to buy, sell, and find whatever its stakeholders need within the campus community.
“I created YARD because there's a real issue on our campus, and every college across the country. I had no experience as an entrepreneur, so I was nervous walking into ecosystems like Spelpreneur and CBE with so many bright scholars and businesses. But when I placed 2nd in the Spelprenuer 10-day pitch competition, I knew there was potential,” said Kharma Wilson, political science major. “Placing as a finalist in this year's Annual CBE New Venture Competition was a huge affirmation that YARD is needed. In just 3 days, over 150 students signed up for YARD. And if it weren't for all the people who saw something in me before I saw it myself, none of this would be possible. I was accepted into a summer accelerator at Emory University where I will be using the CBE NVC funds to help build out YARD. It is clear that YARD resonates with our community, and I will not let us down!”
Sonime, a returning NVC competitor, was selected as a growth track finalist to share any generated revenue or measurable user traction through her business, Knots of Faith. Sonime advocates for a more revolutionized way of delicately managing Black hair and the promotion of incorporating safer and harmless hair into the market.
“Placing second in the CBE New Venture Competition growth track is validation for my vision and the impact of my business idea. This milestone allows me to take Knots of Faith from a service-based business into a product-based brand rooted in research and centered on women’s health and well-being,” said Sonime, health science major. “This summer, I am excited to continue my work as a Spelhouse McNair Scholar, where I will be researching and testing healthier braiding hair alternatives. With this support, I will be able to invest in product development, sourcing, and testing to bring safer hair to the market and create solutions that prioritize beauty and health.”
This event highlighted the creativity and entrepreneurial excellence of Spelman and Morehouse students and served as a launchpad for emerging Black founders. As such, all three Spelman students have exhibited what makes them highly qualified competitors, demonstrating tact, relatability and resoluteness through robust and strategic solutions aimed at bettering lives in their communities and beyond.