The Humbl Hustlr Foundation held its 2020 Hustl•Print Summer Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition and Vine City Community Cleanup on Saturday, August 1, at the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
A day dedicated to youth mentorship, young Black men throughout the metro Atlanta area participated in a basketball clinic, entrepreneurship pitch competition, and community cleanup, where they were able to interact with community entrepreneurs and professionals the entire day thanks to sponsors Dunkin’ Donuts, StateFarm, Atlantic Captial Bank, Miller Morris Homes, TJ Facts and AJ Crimson Beauty.
The main event was the entrepreneurship pitch competition, which allowed nine young Black men from metro Atlanta high schools to pitch their business ideas to community entrepreneurs and professionals for a $1,000 prize.
This year’s judges were Shamran Kurani, Dunkin Donuts Franchise Owner; Jean Rawls, operating principal of Keller Williams The Rawls Group; Ali A. Lemma, assistant vice president of business banking at Atlantic Capital Bank; Jessica Washington, director of Financial Literacy at Usher’s New Look; Riyahd A. Jones, professional network marketer; Samuel Glickman, owner of Privado Grooming Saloon; Dr. Karmetria Burton, an executive at Delta Airlines.
“Programs like these are needed worldwide. I’m honored to serve as a judge and be apart of this experience,” said Kurani, who invests a lot of time and money into uplifting community youth.
Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church also attended to lead a prayer with all nine of the participants.
Isaiah Waller of Booker T. Washing High School won first place in the competition, taking home the $1,000 prize. The second place prize of $500 went to Jordan Jackson of Luella High School and Aboubacar Barrie of Therell High School won third place and a $250 prize.
The high school participants were Bobby Mosely (Booker T. Washington High School), Gerald Barnes (Stone Mountain High School), Jaylon Westry (Luella High School), Landon Hall ( Booker T. Washington High School), Tevin Tyler (Luella High School), Tyler Rayford (Lithonia High School).
“Hustl Print will be apart of my success story and it also inspired me to give as this program did. So if the goal was to lift up young Black men, you guys did your job on my side. When an opportunity is there take it no matter what the results are, learn from everything. So thank you once again and its time to make greatness happen,” Westry said.
A program that exists within the Humbl Husltr Foundation, Hustl•Print was started by Humbl Hustlr founder Lorenzo Gordon as a way to improve the quality of life within young men of color, without experience in entrepreneurial startup process, to receive the necessary tools and resources that will allow them the chance to win funding towards starting up their business.
“Hustl•Print is an entrepreneurial training program for young Black men through various communities and circumstances,” Gordon said. “We connect our mentees with a diverse group of entrepreneurs and corporate innovators for bridge building, brotherhood, community service and career development.”
As a quarterly program, Hustl•Print utilizes a curriculum of high-level training and activities to produce young entrepreneurs with Lorenzo Gordon, Richard Davis and Darrell Lewis, Jr. serving as coaches and mentors for youth.
Gordon continued, “The program was not only designed to teach entrepreneurial and branding blueprints, but to also impact the lives of young black men and cultivate them as the next wave of future CEOs.”
An entrepreneur himself, Gordon started his brand Humbl Hustlr as a way to highlight entrepreneurs and the behind-the-scenes effort that they put into their businesses.
“I started the brand because I knew there was a need to highlight the movers and shakers behind the scenes that are humbly elevating in their career. When you come across a photo of a celebrity on the red carpet, you don’t see the hairstylist that did his/her hair, you don’t see the makeup artist that did his/her face, and you don’t see the stylist who actually styled them. Those are the people I want to showcase,” Gordon said.
The Humbl Hustlr Foundation also partners with Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, GA, every Friday to conduct meetings with 17 young men to teach the Hustl•Print curriculum that focuses on entrepreneurial skills and branding blueprints.
The Foundation currently impacts almost 100 young men throughout the metro Atlanta area. More recently, it introduced Hustlr•Sport which provides youth aspiring to become professional athletes, or wanting to obtain a career within the realm of sports, with opportunities to work with coaches, trainers,
“My mission is to not only improve the quality of you by young black men but also to change the narrative,” Gordon said. “Our curriculum is proof that a lot of young brothers have amazing business ideas, they just need someone to help build out the vision, and that’s what Humbl Hustlr Foundation is about.”
For more information about Hustl•Print to either get involved with the program or provide support through a donation, please visit https://humblhustlr.com/pages/hustl-print
