Milwaukee entrepreneurship training program The Blueprint has narrowed the field in its second cohort, selecting 12 startups to complete its Cultivator class.
Justin Goodrum (front), Lana Grant, Chelsey Davis, Daniel Reed, Aichelle White and Ahard Byrd III take a class during the Bootcamp portion of the second cohort of The Blueprint. (Photo: Young Enterprising Society)
This second edition of The Blueprint, which is hosted by Young Enterprising Society, began with an application and interview process. There were 32 applicants, and 20 were selected to take part in the first portion of the program, an entrepreneurship bootcamp. From April 5 to 7, the bootcamp companies pitched their businesses, and 12 were ultimately selected for The Cultivator.
The entrepreneurs selected for The Cultivator, which culminates in a Demo Day pitch competition for $10,000 in June, began this final portion of the program on April 13. They are:
- Justin Goodrum of Good Entertainment, a multimedia production company with a focus on ownership by the independent filmmaker.
- Lawrence Norwood of Norwood Media Group, a social media management company targeted to small businesses.
- Jessica Cropp of Privy Consult, an on-demand app for gig economy employees.
- Selwyn Jarvis of Ready, Set, Sub, a real-time staffing platform that allows for rapid scale up or scale down.
- Thomas Hughes of Aerial Driven Vision Photography, a drone imagery service.
- Aisha Pasha of ATC Hair Care, a hair loss therapy provider.
- Aichelle White of MuSample, a rights management platform for musical artists.
- Chanel Brown of GoodVibeZ, a music-focused social platform.
- Chineva Smith of Crowned Soles, an online women’s shoe retailer that offers customization.
- Jasmine Bailey of Bosom Buddy, a tool aimed at helping bras last longer.
- Brandon Methu and Marquise Keys of Opportunity Crowd, an opportunity zone investment platform for non-accredited investors.
- LaKeesha Brown and Lategra Kimmons of Essentially You, a personalized body and home care product developer.
YES founders and brothers Khalif and Que El-Amin launched The Blueprint in July with the aim of supporting growth in the central city, helping residents develop technology and innovation skills, and increasing diversity in Milwaukee’s professional millennial population. The Cultivator is an eight-week program, during which investors and experienced entrepreneurs from the community teach a variety of classes on building a company. The classes are held at the Century City Tower, 4201 N. 27th St. on Milwaukee’s northwest side. Read the full story here.
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