Last Week was Amazing! I had three back to back events I was a part of and planned to discuss Stimulus. The events were during the City of Philadelphia’s MED Week: the conference provides critical information to foster the growth and competitiveness of the minority business community. 

TUESDAY OCTOBER 4

My Business Partner (Paul Wright) and I kicked off the week at the Microsoft Reactor to launch our new tech venture (years in the making) Stimulus. Stimulus is a search engine, marketplace and intelligent platform for grants and sponsorships. We seek to simplify the discovery process for anyone regardless of their personal network by streamlining the research of, and matchmaking to, funding, resources and partnerships available from companies, foundations and other organizations.

The problem we are solving: Organizations want to grow or improve their prospects through education, equipment, technology, arts & culture or other means, but are often at a disadvantage in finding the resources to help without (a) personal relationships to know about grants and sponsorships or (b) a central location for all that information. On the other side, companies and organizations that seek to help through grants and sponsorships, often struggle to find qualified applicants that meet their mission.

Backstory: I’ve been working on Stimulus for years (but came up with the name this year) because of the disconnect I witnessed between government, corporations and businesses. Also through my own experience of needing resources such as grants and sponsorships. I was self-funded for the first few years of my company but needed to bring in resources in addition to sales to stay afloat. So I set up a google alert to let me know about available funds, but was disappointed in the results I received every week. Plus with my branding firm, Prestige Concepts I was constantly asked how to meet my corporate clients and vice versa my corporate clients needed to be connected to the community in which they served. So I started to create a database of available grants and sponsorships on both the supply and demand side. Fast Forward, I worked with my now business partner, Paul Wright for a couple of years on a civic engagement program called Open Access Philly and asked him to work with me to build the company.

**The event location and technology was sponsored by Microsoft and we partnered with Score Philadelphia to reach business owners. We had a sold out event with amazing feedback!

ATTENDEE FEEDBACK

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5

I hosted the Ready, Set & Grow Small Business Workshop organized by Councilman Curtis Jones and Councilwoman Parker. The workshop provided information to small businesses and grassroots entrepreneurs interested in business development in inner city neighborhoods.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 6

For the 2nd year, the  PA Conference for Women invited me to speak about my ventures and advice I could offer to entrepreneurs. The event featured Keynote Speakers Anita Hill, Mindy Kaling, Abby Wambach, Adam Grant, Lesley Jane Seymour, and Annie Clark as well as Local and National Guest Speakers. Over 9,000 women in one place, CRAZY!

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is a non-profit, non-partisan, one-day professional and personal development event for women that features dozens of renowned speakers sharing inspirational stories and leading seminars on the issues that matter most to women, including health, personal finance, executive leadership, small business and entrepreneurship, work/life balance, branding and social media marketing, and more. The Conference offers incredible opportunities for business networking, professional development, and personal growth.

During my businss roundtable “Lesser Known Funding Source for Growth” I spoke with the ladies about corporate partnerships, money left on the table because of lack of knowledge and how Stimulus is looking to “Democratize Access to Resources” for those who need it.

INTRODUCING OUR NEW BETA TESTERS FOR STIMULUS