Gamifying Pitch Competitions

AISHA MCCAIN

Aisha McCain is a natural entrepreneur with the heart of a healer and the personality of a fighter. She is an accomplished inventor and innovator who holds multiple patents and has run multiple direct-to-consumer businesses. Additionally, she has become a community resource for cancer patients and an advocate for minority patients’ rights. The path Ms. McCain has traveled required drive, tenacity, and creativity.

Evelyn LaChapelle

Evelyn LaChapelle , in 2013 was convicted for her minor role in a cannabis distribution operation. She is now utilizing her position to advocate for restorative justice. Evelyn has built her own lifestyle brand “87”. She plans to push this brand and industry forward by normalizing cannabis consumption first with luxury cannabis high essentials & apparel.

Tyisha Ferguson

Tyisha Ferguson is the founder of Brown Girl Candle Café, a handcrafted candle brand that blends dessert-inspired creativity with healing and self-care. What began as a personal journey through grief after the tragic loss of her daughter has evolved into a purpose-driven business that brings light, comfort, and connection to others. Tyisha is also in the process of launching the Purple Butterfly Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals navigating grief and trauma through therapeutic art, emotional wellness programs, and community outreach. With a background in social sciences and case management, she brings compassion, resilience, and heart to every aspect of her work. Through both her business and foundation, Tyisha is on a mission to turn pain into purpose — creating safe spaces for healing and inspiring others to rise with grace and strength.

Nyla Choates

Nyla Choates is a Junior English major at Spelman College from Milpitas California. She is the President of the Spelman Entrepreneurship Club, a 2023 Mcdonald's Black & Positively Golden Changeleader, a Blackstone Launchpad Fellow, and Target Scholar. She has been making waves in the world of entrepreneurship and social change as the author, founder, and CEO of the children’s brand My Roots Are Rich. She came up with My Roots Are Rich after realizing that Black students are only being taught a snippet of Black history in the classrooms-most of that time being the negative parts. Leading Black students to feel inadequate and poorly represented in school settings. This is how she came up with her solution, My Roots Are Rich- a children’s brand that empowers inspires, and educates young kids about their rich history. Her brand gives children the POSITIVE representation they deserve! And she's now on a mission to not only give children the positive representation in the books that they read, but also in the clothes they wear, and toys they play with! With your help we can turn this vision into a reality! Join us in choosing to plant the seeds that you want to see grow forever!

Peyton Walter

Peyton Walter is a Senior at Langston University. She co-founded her HBCU’s first brick-and-mortar beauty supply, Lion's Mane Beauty Supply, at the age of 20, and effectively bridged a 40-mile gap to the nearest beauty supply. Lion's Mane prides being “More Than Beauty” because they empower the multifaceted beauty of Black women. Peyton created The Hair App powered by Lion's Mane Beauty Supply to empower and educate Black women about their haircare. The Hair App is the first tech-driven black haircare app that provides personalized and interactive educational videos that teach black women how to style and maintain healthy hair.

AISHA MCCAIN

Aisha McCain is a natural entrepreneur with the heart of a healer and the personality of a fighter. She is an accomplished inventor and innovator who holds multiple patents and has run multiple direct-to-consumer businesses. Additionally, she has become a community resource for cancer patients and an advocate for minority patients’ rights. The path Ms. McCain has traveled required drive, tenacity, and creativity.

Evelyn LaChapelle

Evelyn LaChapelle , in 2013 was convicted for her minor role in a cannabis distribution operation. She is now utilizing her position to advocate for restorative justice. Evelyn has built her own lifestyle brand “87”. She plans to push this brand and industry forward by normalizing cannabis consumption first with luxury cannabis high essentials & apparel.

Tyisha Ferguson

Tyisha Ferguson is the founder of Brown Girl Candle Café, a handcrafted candle brand that blends dessert-inspired creativity with healing and self-care. What began as a personal journey through grief after the tragic loss of her daughter has evolved into a purpose-driven business that brings light, comfort, and connection to others. Tyisha is also in the process of launching the Purple Butterfly Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals navigating grief and trauma through therapeutic art, emotional wellness programs, and community outreach. With a background in social sciences and case management, she brings compassion, resilience, and heart to every aspect of her work. Through both her business and foundation, Tyisha is on a mission to turn pain into purpose — creating safe spaces for healing and inspiring others to rise with grace and strength.

Nyla Choates

Nyla Choates is a Junior English major at Spelman College from Milpitas California. She is the President of the Spelman Entrepreneurship Club, a 2023 Mcdonald's Black & Positively Golden Changeleader, a Blackstone Launchpad Fellow, and Target Scholar. She has been making waves in the world of entrepreneurship and social change as the author, founder, and CEO of the children’s brand My Roots Are Rich. She came up with My Roots Are Rich after realizing that Black students are only being taught a snippet of Black history in the classrooms-most of that time being the negative parts. Leading Black students to feel inadequate and poorly represented in school settings. This is how she came up with her solution, My Roots Are Rich- a children’s brand that empowers inspires, and educates young kids about their rich history. Her brand gives children the POSITIVE representation they deserve! And she's now on a mission to not only give children the positive representation in the books that they read, but also in the clothes they wear, and toys they play with! With your help we can turn this vision into a reality! Join us in choosing to plant the seeds that you want to see grow forever!

Peyton Walter

Peyton Walter is a Senior at Langston University. She co-founded her HBCU’s first brick-and-mortar beauty supply, Lion's Mane Beauty Supply, at the age of 20, and effectively bridged a 40-mile gap to the nearest beauty supply. Lion's Mane prides being “More Than Beauty” because they empower the multifaceted beauty of Black women. Peyton created The Hair App powered by Lion's Mane Beauty Supply to empower and educate Black women about their haircare. The Hair App is the first tech-driven black haircare app that provides personalized and interactive educational videos that teach black women how to style and maintain healthy hair.