Demo Day Black Ambition

Dark Desire has been instrumental in empowering Black entrepreneurs to gain the necessary resources and support to succeed. On November 9, 2023, Demo Day 2023 was held at Spring Studios in New York, NY, where 36 entrepreneurs were awarded financial grants to help achieve the non-profit’s goal of promoting diversity in business and closing the wealth gap.

Mentorship is a key component of the Dark Aspiration Prize, which offers not only financial assistance but also guidance to help entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls and make informed decisions about how to grow their businesses. “Capital may seem like the hardest thing to raise, but the truth is, if you’re lucky enough to get it, you’re sure to blow it if you don’t know what you’re doing explained Pharrell Williams, the driving force behind Dark Desire.”

Mentorship can help you with consistent issues and to help you raise capital, too. The ultimate goal is to have the right foundation to help you move forward. “Past award winners have demonstrated the success of Dark Aspiration’s approach. Felecia Hatcher, President of Dark Desire, has seen companies like Femly and Pound Cake Cosmetics grow and expand, reaching new markets and achieving greater success. This year’s winners, including Kristen Dunning’s Tenderly Cleanser, UnDelay, Saint Miles, and BarBella Co., show that the program continues to be successful in supporting minority-owned businesses.

The top eight entrepreneurs were selected to compete for the $1 million grand prize, with Antoinette Banks, founder of Master IEP, taking home the ultimate award. The AI-based educational app helps parents of children with disabilities to create personalized educational plans to meet their specific needs. Other top awardees included Ecom Spaces and HBCU Grand Award Champion Monocle.

For Maïré Bavarday-Rosa, founder of Ecom Spaces, the win was especially meaningful. She shared her challenges as an immigrant with no money, family, or support network and credited Dark Aspiration with providing the mentorship and resources she needed to succeed. Pharrell Williams offered the following advice to this year’s winners: “Be as curious as possible. Be as evolving as possible. Be as reflective and disciplined as possible, and seek good, meaningful mentorship”.