WS Chronicle

Ami Patel of Raleigh, Brittiany Jenkins of Winston-Salem, and Katye Freelon of Durham were awarded a total of $20,000 in seed stage grants on Oct. 17 at the Center for Creative Economy’s ninth annual Velocity Demo Day.

Ami Patel, founder of Gallery Box, was awarded the CCE 2024 Velocity Award of $10,000. Gallery Box offers interactive, artist-led custom-designed workshops tailored to residential living spaces. Patel provides consistent income to artists who deliver an engaging creative workshop while providing a seamless experience to property managers that desire to engage and retain residents. Gallery Box delivers the service directly to residential communities and manages the events from start to finish.  

In collaboration with CCE, Wells Fargo has established the Emerging Women Entrepreneur Award which this year was given as two $5,000 grants.  

Brittiany Jenkins, founder of Flawlesskin Company, received one of the $5,000 grants. The company is an oncology-inclusive spa serving cancer patients that experience significant skin changes during treatment. The services blend traditional and holistic therapies that soothe the skin and help patients rediscover their sense of self-worth. Jenkins is a licensed esthetics instructor and plans to grow the company by providing continuing education to medical professionals as well as direct services in the spa. Jenkins’s powerful treatments are crafted to target side effects from chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and harsh medications. 

Katye Freelon, founder of Coco Fro, received the second of the $5,000 grants from Wells Fargo. Freelon is the creator of a delicious vegan freeze-dried ice cream made with organic ingredients. Coco Fro serves the growing lactose intolerant market with a plant based and refined sugar free ice cream. Freeze dried foods are associated with astronauts and science, and Coco Fro plans to launch their treats in science and children’s museums first, then expand to outdoor and specialty retailers. 

The awards ceremony followed a day of pitches by ten creative entrepreneurs to a panel of judges which included business mentors, investors and community leaders. Each cohort member hosted a demo table to showcase their product or service. Jenkins also received the People’s Choice Award, voted on by members of the public who attended the event at Winston Starts, a startup incubator located at 500 West 5th Street, in downtown Winston-Salem. 

The Demo Day event celebrated a ten-member Velocity cohort and is the culmination of the 10-week Velocity accelerator led by the Center for Creative Economy. During Velocity, each entrepreneur receives training with a customized curriculum led by skilled facilitators and an expert team of mentors from various business disciplines. Velocity helps founders master business fundamentals, solidify their market positioning, and refine their pitches.

This year 72 startups from nine states and five countries applied to participate. Of the 10 companies chosen for the program, 90% were founded by women entrepreneurs and 80% were founded by people of color. Since its inception in 2016, the CCE’s creative accelerator has launched 126 companies, with 77% still in business. Collectively, these companies have generated $24 million in revenue and raised $30 million in investments.

“Congratulations to all these amazing women!” said Alan Proctor, senior vice president and wealth advisor for Wells Fargo Private Bank. “Wells Fargo is proud to support the Center for Creative Economy and emerging women entrepreneurs. We are committed to making meaningful investments to help diverse entrepreneurs and stimulate small business growth for founders and owners. As the Bank of Doing, Wells Fargo takes action to put people and communities first. We have a longstanding commitment to supporting our communities on the ground through volunteerism, philanthropy, and the work we do with individuals and small businesses every day.”

The three awardees will each receive regular coaching and mentoring from the Center for Creative Economy in addition to their grant awards.  

CCE made additional in-kind awards at an awards breakfast on Oct. 18.  These include:

*Velocity Legal Services Award – Offered by Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. Winner:  Nesting Nannies- Jasmine Godbolt

*Velocity Digital Marketing Award- Offered by Royalty Marketing. Winner: MOMNTM – E.A. Green

*Velocity Marketing Plan Award – Offered by PO & CO. Winner: Odelia, Marie, & Patrice  – Candace Parrish

*Velocity Grant Mentorship Award – Offered by Cauthen Collaborative. Winner: South 23rd – Susan Campbell

For additional information, go to https://ccetriad.com/.