We celebrated the graduation of the latest Next Level at Howard University, a small business accelerator cohort of 23 outstanding regional entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of the business community. Throughout the five-month curriculum, participants took part in expert-led masterclasses, one-on-one coaching, and cross-sector connection-building—all designed to help them scale, lead and thrive.
The graduation included our first-ever pitch competition, powered by Ampcus and CEO Anjali “Ann” Ramakumaran, where six finalists pitched for a $25,000 investment. Congratulations to Hyacinth Tucker, MBA, PMP, founder of The Laundry Basket (Laundry Basket Delivery), for winning the top prize. Thank you to judges Anthony Pierce (Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP), Salil Sankaran (Ampcus Inc), and Cheo Hurley (THG Companies LLC) for sharing your insight and expertise.
Thanks to Events DC, Kaiser Permanente and New Majority Ventures for their continued support of the program.