Following the launch of its Black Business Accelerator, Amazon is partnering with Boss Women Media for the third-annual Black Girl Magic Digital Summit to help provide Black entrepreneurs and business owners with the resources they need to thrive.
The two-day summit will celebrate and support thousands of global attendees, including female corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, and students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
As a part of Amazon’s sponsorship, the company will sponsor the summit’s HBCU Pitch Competition, providing $50,000 in grants to female HBCU student entrepreneurs. Five finalists will be awarded $10,000 each to help them launch and grow their businesses. Judges for the pitch competition are Amazon employees Carla Vernón, vice president of consumable categories, and Tiffany Johnson, a program manager for small business empowerment; and Amazon selling partner Tara Darnley of Darlyng & Co. Applications are open now through August 13. Learn more.
Amazon will also host on-campus watch parties for HBCU students to participate in the Black Girl Magic Digital Summit experience at Alabama A&M University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Tennessee State University. Watch party attendees will have direct access to an Amazon employee to ask questions about Amazon’s peculiar culture, paths for careers, and opportunities for entrepreneurs.
The Black Girl Magic Digital Summit, which will be streamed on Amazon Live, takes place August 21-22 and is free to attend. View the full agenda and register to attend.
This initiative adds to Amazon’s growing investment in the HBCU community and follows last year’s first-ever Amazon conference for HBCU students, “Beyond the Yard: Your Path, Your Future.”
Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator aims to drive economic equity for Black entrepreneurs. This partnership with Boss Women Media also includes custom summit content, including panels, mentors, and opportunities to teach and inspire Black women entrepreneurs at all stages of business ownership.
Pictured above: Tiffany Johnson, program manager for small business empowerment; Maxine Gray, program manager for small business empowerment; Amazon Seller Danyel Surrency-Jones, co-founder and CEO of POWERHANDZ; Brandi Neloms, manager for small business PR; Angelina Howard, senior product manager for digital video games
