Black Ambition, Techstars, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund are collaborating to gather undergraduate and graduate students studying across disciplines at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to experience the highs, lows, fun, and pressure that make up life at a startup.

Students will ideate, learn to validate business ideas, and create real companies with support from the very best mentors, investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs – all of whom are committed to bridging the wealth and opportunity gap by investing in Black entrepreneurs at an early stage. 

This multi-HBCU initiative will connect the network of HBCUs with a network of allies and resources curated for Black founders, including incubator and accelerator programs, business pitch competitions, bootcamps and access to capital. Tour dates and locations will be shared with those who submit a complete application, so make sure to apply today!

Are YOU ambitious? If so, come join us!

Target activation states/cities: 

Spring 2024: FAMU, NCCU, TSU, the AUC, and more!

Fall 2024: TBD

Participants must participate in the full weekend programming in order to participate in the pitch competition!

About Black Ambition

Black Ambition empowers Black and Hispanic innovators and communities to excel uninterrupted. Founded by Pharrell Williams in 2020, Black, Hispanic, and HBCU-affiliated ventures in technology, healthcare, consumer products and services, media and entertainment and Artificial Intelligence are eligible to win up to $1M.

To date, Black Ambition has trained approximately 750 founders and awarded nearly $10M in growth capital to 101 founders. Black Ambition’s endeavors have been recognized by Forbes, Essence, Complex, and many more for driving meaningful change. It also was the winner of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas award for Impact Investing and named one of Fast Company’s 2022 Most Innovative Companies.

About Techstars:

The Techstars worldwide network helps entrepreneurs succeed. Techstars began with three simple ideas: entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, collaboration drives innovation, and great ideas can come from anywhere. 

Today, their mission is to enable everyone on the planet to contribute to, and benefit from, entrepreneurs’ success. In addition to operating accelerators and venture funds, they connect startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. 

About Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Established in 1987, Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the only national organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. With a mission to ensure student success by promoting educational excellence and preparing the next generation of workforce talent through leadership development, TMCF is ambitiously focused on changing the face of leadership in business and beyond by amplifying the ambitions of those society may overlook or underestimate. As part of this effort, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Division is focused on identifying, positioning, and preparing the next generation of global innovators to create and drive technological solutions that will change the world.

I&E programming takes a holistic approach to infusing education and professional development, creating opportunities for technology to converge with business acumen connecting “techie” students with “business-minded” students who are aspiring entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.  This commitment manifests as an investment in entrepreneurial-minded talent by training future innovators from HBCUs in skills needed to generate economic success through their own business or within today’s knowledge driven organizations.