BRIDGING PATHWAYS TO SCALE BLACK INGENUITY

THE WHITNEY M. YOUNG JR.

MEMORIAL CONFERENCE

WHITNEY M. YOUNG JR. MEMORIAL CONFERENCE

At the WMY conference, prominent business and civic leaders present their perspectives on pertinent trends disrupting a breadth of industries and functional areas, driving thoughtful dialogue on how to champion innovation with mature enterprises, new ventures, and personal endeavors.

This year, we are excited to unveil the Wharton School's Innovation & Black Entrepreneurship Series and New Venture Competition, both of which are designed to highlight, empower, and support Black professionals engaged in innovation.

February 19-20, 2021

By 1921, Greenwood Tulsa had become one of the most commercially successful and affluent African American communities in the United States, home to a robust consortium of Black business owners across disciplines of law, real estate, entrepreneurship, and medicine, garnering the colloquial name of "Black Wall Street."

Often at the center of disruption, African Americans have rallied as a community to develop progressive solutions and strategies to overcome tremendous obstacles and challenge the status quo, representing the hallmark that is Black ingenuity.

2021 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre, in which the once-burgeoning Black entrepreneurial experiment was razed to the ground. At this year’s conference, Blueprint: Bridging Pathways To Scale Black Ingenuity, we seek to shed light on this tragic moment in our history, but also seize the memory to prompt exploration into best practices promoting groundbreaking, competitive, and sustainable innovation.

Through WMY47, industry leaders will endow professionals across networks with the tools and thematic insights to strategically explore, nurture, and launch the next-gen ventures and emerging initiatives of the future.

Design your Blueprint

WMY47 Conference Snapshot

Reimagined to broaden the scope, inclusivity, and impact of conference content and spotlight pertinent trends influencing the Black community

Powered by venture capital practitioners, successful entrepreneurs, and Wharton faculty to endow professionals with the tools to strategically explore and launch their venture

Created to showcase and mentor budding entrepreneurs, culminating in the awarding of a grand prize winner

WMY47 will deliver an expanded scope of dynamic content to conference attendees, strategically curated to highlight the robustness of knowledge, experiences, and opportunities housed within the Black community

New Venture Competition

Powering a New Generation of Black Innovators

Pitch your startup for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $175,000

Selected NVC finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their new venture in front of a panel of esteemed judges and compete for a chance to win monetary and in-kind prizes to springboard their businesses

Mercedes Bent

PARTNER

LIGHTSPEED VENTURE PARTNERS

Arlan Hamilton

FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER

BACKSTAGE CAPITAL

Erik Moore WG'98

FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

BASE VENTURES

Elliott Robinson

PARTNER

BESSEMER VENTURE PARTNERS

Jason Scott

HEAD OF US STARTUP DEVELOPER ECOSYSTEM

GOOGLE

Alice Vilma

MANAGING DIRECTOR, MULTICULTURAL CLIENT STRATEGY

MORGAN STANLEY

The New Venture Competition (NVC) is a pitch competition for early-stage ventures, designed to showcase a new generation of Black innovators

Open Application Period

To be eligible, founders must meet the following criteria:

• Black founder, co-founder, or other member of C-suite

• Pre-seed or Seed

• Company founded within four years of competition date

• Open to all geographies, business sizes, and industries

Application Screening Process

Applications will be assessed against four category areas:

• Founding Team Experience

• Product-Market Fit

• Market Landscape

• Business Model Validation

Top 20 Semi-finalists Announced

Based on the strength of applications, 20 founders will be invited to virtually attend a series of startup workshops, culminating in the delivery of their short business pitches that will be used to determine the slate of NVC finalists

Pitch Competition Final Round

Founders will have 5-7 minutes to pitch their new venture to a panel of judges, followed by 5-8 minutes of Q&A

Pitch Competition Showcase & Winner Announcement

To determine a "Crowd Favorite," the top three founders will pitch their new venture in front of Conference attendees, concluding in the awarding of the NVC prizes