OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – $10,000 is on the line for the Pitch Black finale competition. It’s hosted by the Midlands African Chamber, founded by Karine Sokpoh.
“We had a cohort of small businesses owned by BIPOC community members,” said Sokpoh.
From February until May, over a dozen business owners learned the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. They eventually pitched their business in a preliminary round.
Now, it’s down to five finalists: Cherish Perkins of Cherish Perkins LLC, Deshawn Hernandez of Island Chill, Artez and Dorinda Young of Green Lexi, Xavier Jackson of Local Art Plug, and Vera Mahadi and Hakim A. Lado of Serenity Home Solutions.
During the Pitch Black Finale, each person will present their business to a panel of judges. With the $10,000 prize and resources like legal help and marketing can take the winner to new heights.
“They can always use additional money to either develop the infrastructure they already have. Maybe use that money to create a new product line or a new service,” said Sokpoh.
While each contestant is confident in their chances of winning, they said even if they don’t the experience itself is the biggest reward.
“I’ve connected with a lot of people since doing these events, being in the community has brought different opportunities my way,” said Perkins.
“When I further looked into the opportunity and understood what it was it was kind of like hand in glove,” said Young.
“It just puts you in touch with different people that you may not meet,” said Hernandez.
“It’s really helped a lot of us elevate and legitimize our businesses. Before a lot of it was in our heads, but now we have it on paper that we can take to people for investment or loans,” said Jackson.
“Just step forward. Even though you’re scared, even though you don’t know what it’s going to be like — it’s time-consuming, but if you want to be a business owner you need to take that leap of faith,” said Mahadi.
Pitch Black will be held July 8 at the Harper Center at Creighton University.
Copyright 2023 WOWT. All rights reserved.