I’ve signed up with the South East Chicago Commission (SECC) as Program Supervisor of Arts & & Culture !! Right here’s why:
It is with fantastic exhilaration and optimism that I introduce a brand-new specialist expedition I am embarking upon– one that will certainly permit me to increase the work established throughout my last 8 years as a social impact business owner, including 2 years of running a South Side based media lab– while giving a chance to strengthen my “Neighborhood Money” experience.
An emphasize snapshot of the last 8 years:
- 2012– Lean Start-up Challenge; Force.com freelancing for local non-profits
- 2013– Joins Founding Team of Dev Bootcamp Chicago
- 2014– DBC Chicago is obtained by Kaplan University; Mikell joins Trans * H 4 CK as Modern Technology Director; Mikell & & Ziegler launch BlackStarLAUNCH: an edu platform for creative entrepreneurs of color -ending up being the very first project of the ZaMLabs profile
- 2015– BlackStarLAUNCH ends up being SaaS (AerialSpaces); PipelineAngels pitch; $ 235 K raised for Trans * H 4 CK Virtual Edu Center
- 2016– AerialSpaces Beta is piloted by Github & & Microsoft
- 2017– Technori pitch; Mikell takes part in WiSTEM Accelerator (Accomplice 4; 1871 LIVE launches (powered by AerialSpaces); Appolition launches
- 2018– AerialSpaces raises a pre-seed round ($ 350 K); Mikell joins VentureSCALE (Associate 1; South Side Media Laboratory opens on 79 th/Woodlawn
- 2019– Appolition is featured in Chicago Tribune ($ 250 K raised through spare adjustment payments) & & Chicago Publication , Mikell keynotes the South Side Pitch Competitors and is granted Crain’s Technology 50
“There are years that ask concerns and years that answer.” ~ Zora Neale Hurston
In 2018, after 4 + years of working from another location, our social effect startup workshop opened its very first physical office in Chicago’s Chatham community (over Arts & & Society Center: The Woodlawn , including a media laboratory for local residents. Having a brick and mortar space, permitted a localization of our company objective: financial justice for marginalized communities– and for 18 + months we ran a physical “New Media Tech Incubator”– aiding our neighbors design and launch experiments that developed brand-new streams of revenue in their very own area.
2019 was my year of checking out exactly how to decrease Neighborhood Violence (specifically financial violence) by spending Area Resources (particularly brand-new media, tech & & endeavor ) purposefully and strategically in previously under-invested Chicago area locations.
Our work with Appolition was recognized and we boast of the effect version designed and shared with that social job nonetheless crappy technological framework (i.e. absence of broadband net on the South Side) created running challenges for our media laboratory and the SaaS that powered that lab: AerialSpaces.
Eventually, my former founder and I have actually made a decision to work on different trouble sets– and as of December 31 st, 2019, ZaMLabs, our general collaboration of 6 years, has been officially sunset.
I still plan on raising a fund for South Side founders and I am most anticipating making brand-new automobiles for “venture effect investing”. Therefore, I’ve invested the last numerous months discovering as much as I can around Community Development Frameworks consisting of CDFIs (Community Advancement Money Institutions).
I’m delighted by neighborhood campaigns like Invest South & & West– nevertheless I question why “area finance” is just offered using Debt-based asset classes. Efforts developed to boost endeavor activity like the Illinois Development & & Development Fund (ilgif.com) are fascinating nevertheless only high-growth tech enabled businesses qualify.
Other models led by Chicago-based groups like Benefit Chicago and BuilderCapitalist.org seem to be extra inclusive and targeted.
My technique to Area Resources Advancement (i.e. my funding thesis) is based on a couple of crucial principles:
- Local Founder-Leaders, with genuine connections to a community , are uniquely placed to sustain a reinvestment of funding
- Offering communities previously under-served needs creating” New Autos for Value Production”
- Leveraging New Media across the funding & & item advancement life-cycle makes best use of social & & economic ROI
After developing founder education and learning systems and assisting to construct a crowdfunding application for social effect– I desired an opportunity to create a new micro-granting & & impact investing program for south and west side entrepreneurs specifically. I asked and the universe responded to.
Beginning February 2020, I am now functioning as the Program Supervisor of Arts & & Culture for the SECC– a community growth innovator with over 68 years of experience. Extra details on the SECC & & the new role here: https://www.secc-chicago.org/new-program-director-arts-culture/
In this new duty, I will be exploring exactly how to equitably purchase Artrepreneurship– checking out Arts & & Culture as a trouble resolving & & wide range building asset– one that exists in EVERY community.
I will be aiding to introduce two brand-new campaigns:
- Innovative Entrepreneurship– purposefully closing the expertise spaces and supplying abilities in multiple areas of advertising and marketing, business and social media while addressing architectural obstacles and vital assistance to artists on the South Side, assisting them think of their entrepreneurial options.
- Equitable Financial Investment in the Arts Seed Give– a brand-new re-granting campaign for areas with previous under-investment in the arts; for arts-based tasks that straight add to short- and/or lasting community property and wealth structure.
I’m thrilled by this brand-new chance and hope you are likewise! Want to chat with me regarding collaboration opportunities? Below’s an organizing web link: https://calendly.com/secc_arts
Many thanks in advance for your support. Forward and upward!