RECAP: Pharrell And Hill Harper Champion Entrepreneurship At 2024 Black Ambition Demo Day

November 21, 2024

Pharrell Williams' Black Ambition Demo Day 2024

Source: Team Epiphany

Keeping up with the happenings of multifaceted superstar Pharrell Williams seems like a job in itself. Just last month he was knee-deep into the promo run for Piece By Piece, his biographical film told through the lens of LEGO animation. This month his gears are more shifted towards promoting the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2025 Pre-Collection, a luxury brand which he currently oversees as Creative Director. Of course, that doesn’t take away from his new limited edition evian water bottles made in partnership with his lifestyle brand, HUMANRACE, nor does it detract from his “Tiffany Titan” collection with high-end jeweler, Tiffany & Co.

It goes without saying that Skateboard P knows a thing or two when it comes to being a Black entrepreneur, which makes the success of his non-profit organization, Black Ambition, all the more fruitful. We got a chance to learn a bit more about the initiative last week at their now-annual Demo Day ceremony (November 15), where 30 trailblazing Black and Brown founders were awarded a total of over $2.7 million in funding.

More on the 2024 Black Ambition Demo Day initiative below, via PR Newswire:

“Demo Day is the annual event celebrating the months-long journey that three thousand entrepreneurs embarked on this year in an attempt to win not only monetary prizes, but mentorship and educational opportunities with Pharrell and other top entrepreneurship experts and founders. The day was emceed by renowned actor and advocate, Hill Harper, and included pitches from 8 top finalists in the categories of AI, Consumer Products and Services, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment and Tech. The panel of four judges, which included, Lisa Price, Founder of Carol’s Daughter; Pinky Cole, Founder of Slutty Vegan; Matt Story, Vice President, Global Brand Integrated Marketing at Visa; and Erik Moore, Founder & Managing Director, Base Ventures determined the top winners to an enthusiastic audience.

‘I’m so inspired by what the future holds for these talented innovators and business leaders, and the role that Black Ambition will play in getting them to new heights of success – new corporate partnerships, retail opportunities, network building and more,’ said Black Ambition Founder, Pharrell Williams. ‘Hearing the stories and seeing their products as they pitched on Demo Day reaffirmed that Black Ambition is needed to create more opportunity and wealth for Black and Brown communities.’”

Source: Team Epiphany

From the perspective of event host Hill Harper (seen above), the Hav Plenty actor felt right at home amongst the creatives in the room, telling us during the reception, “Black entrepreneurship means ownership; Black Ambition is the engine or catalyst for helping to create successful businesses. If you don’t have the capital, you don’t have the ability to grow and scale. The powerful truly lies in owning our own businesses and creating them ourselves. I’m so proud of Pharrell and Felecia Hatcher — Black Ambition is the best pitch competition because it’s not just about giving out money but also counseling and teaching the companies. From helping with pitches to the business plan overall, what they’re doing is phenomenal and I’m a big supporter.”

The million-dollar grand prize went to Dr. Monica Williams and Dana Roberts of RedDrop, a forward-thinking line of period kits for young girls learning about the growing process of their bodies. In second place with the $250,000 prize was Thomas Fields of GRIND, a line of sports technology highlighted by the literal game-changing portable basketball shooting/rebounding machine known as the GRIND Machine. Overall though, each entrepreneur will continue to receive tutelage over the next six months, including meetings with Pharrell, office hours with leading investors in marketing, invitations to retail partner meetings and a full range of executive coaching.