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Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition awarded $3.2M to 36 entrepreneurs this year. Meet Miami’s winner.

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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By Nancy Dahlberg

“We see you. We believe in you. We hear you. We invest in you. We support you at the highest level possible,” Miami’s Felecia Hatcher, CEO of Black Ambition, told the crowd of entrepreneurs of color at the organization’s third annual Demo Day in New York City earlier this month. “Black ambition is different. The swagger is different. Your dreams are different. Your aspirations are different because they have to be. Our founders represent that.”

A Miami startup was among the top prize winners at Black Ambition’s Demo Day. Out of 2,000 applicants, 36 startups won awards of between $20,000 and the $1 million grand prize. Compensate Community Powered By WorldSafe1st was one the top 10 prize winners, securing a $75,000 award. Black Ambition, founded by Pharrell Williams, is a non-profit initiative dedicated to supporting Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs,

“We are dedicated to helping all victims of crime transition from victimhood to survivorship. Our interoperable platform is utilized by government agencies, law enforcement and victim service providers to ensure victims receive the vital resources and compensation that they need faster and better – all in one place,” said Willmeisha Hall, who founded the company alongside Trevor Brooks in 2020.

Worldsafe1st is a public safety and financial services provider that expedites the distribution of government program funds and resources to victims of crime and natural disasters. Its flagship product, Compensate Community, streamlines their access to medical and mental health treatment, forensic management, compensation claims management, and emergency housing/transportation concierge services.

 “I’m very excited to receive this award as it’s a testament to my past performance of procuring a Florida Division of Emergency Management Contract where I service thousands of South Florida residents in multiple jurisdictions during the pandemic. I’ve also been awarded a Department of Justice Innovative Grant to build the victim services platform,” said Hall, who previously worked at The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County and several other organizations funded by the Knight Foundation, among other roles.

The Black Ambition prize money will be used to support the distribution of resources to victims of crime. The innovative startup is performing private beta testing of the solution with jurisdictions in Missouri and Maryland. Hall is currently participating in the Novella Center for Entrepreneurship Conscious Venture Lab Accelerator of Baltimore, in order to better serve the victims.  In Florida, “we’re currently seeking municipalities and partnerships throughout the State of Florida to pilot our solution,” Hall said.

So far, Worldsafe1st has secured a digital disbursement partnership agreement with Fiserv,  a large global provider of technology solutions to the financial services industry. The company was also awarded a Department of Justice/Bureau of Justice Assistance Innovation Prosecution Grant.

Worldsafe1st has partnered with Amazon Web Services under their GovTech start program to bring their solution to communities around the world. Previously the company completed the City of Miami Venture Miami Opportunity Program’s Cohort III and is currently part of the EndeavorLAB Miami Black Founders Cohort, powered by Dell & FPL. Hall is also part of the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center 2023 Milestone Makers cohort, working on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Black Ambition’s grand prize winner was Antoinette Banks, CEO and Founder of Expert IEP, a parent-facing app that optimizes existing Individualized Education Plans with predictive AI for children diagnosed with a disability. ECOMSPACES, a one-stop-shop for e-commerce solutions ranging from product photography to order fulfillment, and HBCU Grand Prize Winner, Monocle, a social e-reader that creates a community-focused reading experience, were awarded $250,000 and $200,000, respectively.

Founded in 2020, Black Ambition has awarded approximately $6 million to 65 innovative entrepreneurs. Black Ambition network founders  have gone on to raise more than $92 million collectively, the organization said.

Worldsafe1st team photo

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