November 2, 2025
Entrepreneurs should be thought-about “underneath resourced” to take part within the Black Woman Ventures competitors.
Black Woman Ventures (BGV) is bringing its crowdfunded pitch competitors to New York Metropolis on Nov. 7.
The occasion, led by BGV Founder Omi Bell, is a part of the group’s multi-city effort to spice up entrepreneurship efforts for Black ladies in enterprise. The BGV Pitch Competitors merges conventional pitching with crowdfunding, permitting the viewers to “vote with their {dollars}.” The group solicits donations via its Raisify platform. Every founder will give a three-minute presentation adopted by a two-minute Q&A session. The winner will probably be decided by the variety of crowd contributions acquired relatively than evaluations by investor panels.
The upcoming competitors will happen at The Mezzanine in Manhattan’s Monetary District. Greater than a dozen women-of-color entrepreneurs are anticipated to pitch. Entrepreneur sectors vary from tech to wellness to shopper items.
“We created this as a result of ladies and folks of colour get lower than one p.c of enterprise funding,” Bell advised Amsterdam Information. “Our work is about constructing capability and making a sustainable group round that funding.”
Individuals within the New York occasion should be women-identifying, revenue-generating enterprise homeowners who meet BGV’s under-resourced standards. Finalists achieve entry to the group’s alumni ecosystem, which gives ongoing entry to networking alternatives, monetary teaching, and brand-building assist.
In keeping with Black Woman Ventures web site, since its founding in 2016, the group has funded greater than 450 founders. Moreover, their work has supported over 10,000 entrepreneurs nationwide via mentoring, accelerator applications, and workshops. Its pitch mannequin—the place on a regular basis supporters contribute small quantities—has been replicated in cities together with Chicago, Austin, and Los Angeles.
The timing of the New York launch coincides with elevated nationwide consideration on equity-focused entrepreneurship. Experiences from Crunchbase and the Nationwide Enterprise Capital Affiliation present Black ladies founders proceed to obtain lower than 1% of complete enterprise capital funding, a determine Bell says “should be reversed by community-driven options, not ready for gatekeepers.”
The pitch format’s transparency is what Bell believes makes it highly effective.
“When folks within the viewers make investments, they’re not simply funding a enterprise,” she stated. “They’re becoming a member of an ecosystem that believes in collaboration over competitors.”
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