Camelback Ventures Opens Applications for Next Cohort of Entrepreneurs

Camelback Ventures is a fellowship that aims to address the inequities of education and social innovation by providing coaching, capital, and connections to underrepresented entrepreneurs. They are currently looking for their next cohort of entrepreneurs.

Here is the scoop. According to their site, the entire application process will be online; Round 1 will be available starting Jan. 4.

The application consists of three rounds. Round 1 will be written short answers with basic questions about your entrepreneurial journey and your venture. Round 2 will be written short answers that delve deeper into organizational details (like team composition and dynamics, market fit, your current and proposed budgets). Round 3 is a video interview with industry experts that challenges applicants to think about their personal development and organizational impact.

In case you aren’t familiar, Camelback Ventures was founded by former attorney Aaron Walker. Prior to, Walker taught ninth-grade English in West Philadelphia, put together deals for companies large and small, and supported new ideas to improve education as a portfolio director for the NYC Fund for Public Schools, after acquiring degrees from the University of Virginia and Penn Law School.

The fellowship is a six-month program that supports the development of both founder and venture. By providing coaching, capital, and connections through the Fellowship, Camelback believes that these three pillars are critical to the evolution and success of any organization. Additionally, due to the systemic lack of access to these primary factors for people of color and women, they put the majority of their focus here.

Past fellows include:

• Ashley Edwards, co-founder of MindRight, a texting service that provides daily, personalized psychoeducation that helps youth develop positive coping strategies to manage stress. Through their service, they help schools better identify students in need of in-person escalated services. They provide real-time data on student emotional wellness to promote healthy learning environments.
• Cory Greene, co-founder, and organizer of How Our Lives Link Altogether! (H.O.L.L.A.!) a youth-led community healing strategy to bring the youth of color and communities together to heal from trauma and to resist all forms of oppression. Recently, H.O.L.L.A.! created the Healing Justice Youth Assessment Survey and Healing Justice Workshop and Training to engage the marginalized youth of color throughout the city.
• Melanie Richardson, co-founder of TrainingGrounds, a nonprofit organization that provides evidence-informed programming with a focus on age-appropriate developmental practices. They assist families and professionals throughout the greater New Orleans area with understanding the importance of how rich learning experiences and positive adult-child interactions in the first five years of life contribute to later success and overall child well-being.

If you are interested in the Camelback Fellowship, you can inquire more and apply here.