Sewphia’s Art Wins $5,000 at Remix Ideas’ “Battle of Ideas” 5K Pitch Challenge
Three finalists from inaugural 2019 ReMix Ideas Business Academy class “pitch” crowd of more than 100 at historic Mosaic Templars Culture Center
Little Rock, Arkansas (Dec 9, 2019) – In a tightly contested challenge that came down to the last online vote, Sophia Walker, founder and CEO of Sewphia’s Art, walked away with $5,000 as the winner of Remix Ideas’ “Battle of the Ideas” 5K Pitch Challenge. Walker, along with Michele Wright and Tiffany Washington, the respective founders and CEOs for Rainbow Coffins and Elite Plus Transport, were the three finalists selected to participate in the onstage pitch event held at the historic Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in downtown Little Rock on Saturday, Dec. 7.
In a “Dancing With the Stars” styled vote where each person in the crowd chose their favorite participant via text, Walker was selected as the eventual $5,000 winner by a razor margin of just over 40%. During the three-minute voting period, the boisterous crowd of more than 100 people attending the event shouted and clapped with excitement as the results showed up instantly onscreen at the downtown hall. But even after Walker was named the winner, Wright was also handed a $5,000 check as the second-place finisher to help jumpstart her business dreams in a surprise development announced at the last moment by Remix Ideas CEO Benito Lubazibwa.
The three black, women-owned startups were selected to participate in the onstage challenge from 15 individuals that began the inaugural Remix Ideas Business Academy (RIBA) earlier this summer, powered by FORGE Community Loan Fund. The 12-week, custom-designed business boot-camp teaches entrepreneurs the skills required to create, scale and sustain a successful business including how to develop and test ideas in the marketplace.
Held at Philander Smith College, RIBA class instruction is led by a diverse group of local business owners who teach fundamental concepts and provide practicum experience in a variety of core areas ranging from finance, marketing, business landscape analysis, pricing strategy to intellectual property, negotiation and contracts.
“Business ownership is key to generating wealth in under-resourced communities and closing the racial wealth gap,” said Lubazibwa, also executive director of RIBA. “We are committed to transform lives and communities through entrepreneurship.”
In conjunction with the year-end pitch challenge, Remix also announced its RIBA spring class of 15 individuals that will get underway on Feb. 22, 2020.
About ReMix Ideas
ReMix Ideas is committed to removing barriers Black entrepreneurs face in accessing knowledge, capital, opportunities and resources to start, grow and scale their businesses. For more information, please visit www.remixideas.com