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HBCU Virtual Collective

The HBCU Virtual Collective (HVC) is a virtual business ecosystem built for scale and focused on cultivating the ideas of HBCU students and alum. We understand the power of new ideas. Innovation drives growth and stability. Our virtual ecosystem provides the programming, expertise, access to capital, business resources, and support community to start and grow businesses. HVC allows any HBCU in the country to plug into a curated entrepreneurial ecosystem with data, outcomes and network. HBCUs will instantly have the infrastructure in place to launch entrepreneurship initiatives on their campuses.  

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HVC Start-Up 
Accelerator 

HVC Start-Up Accelerator is an 8 week accelerator that builds businesses on the campuses of HBCUs. This initiative actualizes progress in three specific ways.

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  • We empower black and brown founders to start high growth and small businesses on the campuses of HBCUs.

  • We will use this to make the HBCU an anchor point for innovation in its Community. 

  • The innovation initialized from the HBCU will be a center-point for larger economic development efforts in the region.

Outcomes & Plans

This year (2022), we have run startup incubators on three university campuses; Bowie State University (BSU), Georgetown University, and The University of Shady Grove. Click here to view the outcomes from our work with Bowie State University, an HBCU in Maryland. Additionally, we've built entrepreneurial programming at Howard University, an HBCU in Washington DC.

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In 2023 we will exponentially increase our HBCU engagement using the HVC model. 

  • We currently have 50 teams, from HBCUs, scheduled to go through our start-up accelerator in 2023.

  • We have another 225 teams, from traditional universities, going through our start-up accelerator in 2023.

  • We have over 200 entrepreneurs on HBCU campuses who want to enter a start-up accelerator.

  • We have a robust network of resources and community in place to support this scaling entrepreneurial initiative.

  • We have a partnership with Historically Black Since, Link: https://www.instagram.com/historicallyblacksince/ 

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“I like that it was a very hands-on experience with many challenges that activated my entrepreneurial mind. I like that there was no room to be comfortable and it forced me out of my comfort zone to improve my business. I love that I could create relationships with other people and collaborate on ideas”
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