20 Black & Latinx Founders named Finalists for WEPOWER Accelerator—Vote now!

Nov 18, 2019

20 Black & Latinx Founders named Finalists for WEPOWER Accelerator—Vote now!

Residents of St. Louis City wards 1, 3, 21—your vote decides which businesses WEPOWER invests in.

SCROLL TO READ PROFILES AND MARK YOUR BALLOT!

The WEPOWER Accelerator offers Black and Latinx founders of early-stage companies the resources they need to elevate both company and community. Founders apply to the WEPOWER Accelerator and sign a commitment to the St. Louis community; then the finalists are put to a community vote in these three wards. Now, you, the residents of these wards, hold the power to select which companies are supported to grow and create living-wage jobs in your neighborhoods. Up to 10 companies will be accepted; the community vote determines five and WEPOWER chooses an additional five.

Voting is open online and in-person at the O’Fallon Park Rec Center and Cornerstone Cafe from Monday, November 18th to Friday, November 22th at 3pm.

La'crassia+Wilderness

Butter Love by LC

La'Crassia Wilderness

Healthcare | Butter Love offers medical-grade skincare products that are healing, detoxifying, and rejuvenating while working to heal skin ailments such as eczema, psoriasis, and chronic dryness.

Valeria+Rodriguez

Shine in All Shades

Valeria Rodriguez

Retail | Shine in All Shades is a series of coloring books and workshops that celebrate and empower women of color through hand-drawn illustrations, quotes, and positive affirmations.

Fatimah+Muhammad

Apiary at the Park

Fatimah Muhammad

Other | Apiary at the Park is a co-working and co-living space for black and brown entrepreneurs looking to network and apply business and artistic goals within a culturally supportive environment.

Tyrean+S.+Lewis

Heru Urban Farming and Garden

Tyrean Lewis

Food Prep | Heru transforms food desert areas into healthy and sustainable environments by acquiring and revitalizing land to provide quality organic foods and herbal goods and donates some produce to elderly and single parents.

Consuella+Meeks

Care Watchers

Consuella Meeks

Healthcare | Care Watchers provides families and organizations the ability to protect loved ones through independent oversight of care facilities by creating contracts with care facilities that include a range of services and evaluations to reduce instances of neglect and abuse.

Tiffany+Wesley

Pure Vibes

Tiffany Elise Wesley

Healthcare | Pure Vibes provides hemp powered healthy alternatives for traditional feminine hygiene by addressing the need for managing mood, menstrual care, pain management, and mental health.

Ricardo+Garza

Crossover Media

Ricardo Garza

Information Technology | Crossover Media provides digital marketing services to businesses, organizations, and neighborhoods by using apps, websites, video services, and more to create platforms for community members to foster a sense of unity and connection.

isaac+Appiah

United Subs of America

Isaac Appiah

Other | United Subs of America provides substitute teachers and staffing support for K-12 schools by facilitating a screening process, offering quality training, and evaluating substitute teacher effectiveness.

Winnie+Caldwell

Books N Bros

Winnie Caldwell & Sidney Keys III

Other | Books N Bros is a youth-led and subscription-based book club for boys that provides an opportunity to read and discuss literature and be mentored by a Big Brother to build confidence and improve literacy.

Whitney+McClendon-Gregory

Eemerg Roadside Assistance Marketplace

Whitney McClendon-Gregory

Information Technology | Eemerg is a phone application that connects users with local roadside assistance providers based on estimated arrival times and price comparison.

David+Cervantes

Cervantes Designs

David Cervantes

Construction | Cervantes Designs creates custom furnishings and decor with natural and ethically sourced materials by using cutting edge technology and teaching fabrication methods.

Estrella+Cruz-Curoe

del Carmen

Estrella Cruz-Curoe

Food Prep | del Carmen is a vegan certified manufacturer of frozen fresh black bean products and sauces that conveniently transform into an ingredient, side dish, or complete meal, free of preservatives, additives, or processed sugar.

Brandon+Original

Original Family Smokehouse

Brandon Original

Food Prep | Original Family Smokehouse provides quality plant-based foods through community events, pop-ups, by partnering with local businesses, and private catering in an effort to create a healthier lifestyle by increasing the food’s accessibility and visibility.

Grinning Black man with beard

YoDJ

Zaid Hameed

Information Technology | YoDJ is a mobile application that improves the experience of musical events by providing event attendees with the ability to request songs in exchange for compensating the DJ.

Smiling Black man in suit

Farfetched

Darian Wigfall

Information Technology | Farfetched is a one-stop-shop for the production, branding, and distribution of content for artists and podcaster seeking to connect with their niche audiences.

Smiling young Black woman with glasses and long braids

Postpartum & Posh LLC

Chloe Kelly

Healthcare | Postpartum & Posh provides postpartum women with the resources and assistance they need to make a smooth transition into motherhood while reducing rates of postpartum depression.

two Black men smiling

Saint Louis Hop Shop

Ryan Griffin & Justin Harris

Retail | Saint Louis Hop Shop is a craft beer bottle shop and tasting room that provides a place to build community while enjoying the best craft beer from STL-based breweries and distributors.

Grinning young Black woman with braids

Aging in your Place, LLC

Rhonda Johnston

Healthcare | Aging in Your Place assists seniors and disabled individuals with applying and securing Medicaid insurance to access services at home while maintaining nursing home levers of care and evaluation.

Grinning Black woman

MO Political Consulting

Rosetta Okohson-Reb

Other | MO Political Consulting crafts campaign strategies by teaching and consulting on the three pillars of campaigns: communications, fundraising, and voter contact.

Smiling Black man with goatee and short tight braids

Dimensions

Julian Keaton

Information Technology | Dimensions is a mobile game designed to introduce college students & transplants to their new city and to foster community engagement through augmented reality experiences with longer-term residents and organizations.

Finalists' video entries

Watch the finalists describe what unique problems their businesses address!

“If businesses are profiting from our neighborhoods, they
should be accountable to our neighborhoods.”

— ROBIN W., O'FALLON