Last Updated on December 29, 2023
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
After PepsiCo announced its $400 million plan to invest in Black communities in America, many young entrepreneurs came forward to get funding for their projects. Within this series of investments is the Mountain Dew Contest called the Real Change Opportunity Fund for which North Carolina A&T University student Nasir Jones competed against other young businesspeople and won the fund for $35,000 with his project HBCU Tour.
HBCU Tour Platform
Jones's platform creates a marketplace for minorities and HBCU students and alumni while generating events and resources for HBCUs.
The Mountain Dew Contest couldn't come at a better time, with the imminent launch of HBCU Tour. Jones says he will use the prize to modify and improve the interface released on June 19th, 2021, as well as the official HBCU Tour in the Fall. This provides the platform with a much higher chance of being successful long-term.
He also notes that the funds can greatly impact minority businesses on the platform which range in categories from sports, office products, toys, clothing, travel, health and personal care, home, and garden, and more; allowing them to have a larger reach.
This, he hopes, will create a ripple effect in the community to grow, more than just his own platform, many other businesses in tandem.
Mountain Dew Contest Impact
It's no surprise, then, why a project like Jones's would be deemed one of the winners as it, like the initiative, looks to uplift minority businesses and entrepreneurs. With the support of the Mountain Dew contest Real Change Opportunity Fund and a marketplace like HBCU Tour, small and medium businesses can find the support they need to scale and build significant revenue.
About the Mountain Dew Real Change Opportunity Fund
The fund is made to fund and fuel change for the Black Community in America by supporting changemakers from HBCUs. Entrepreneurs, recent alumni, and current students enter their projects, whether business ideas for existing ventures to get seed money for scaling and growing their ventures. In the long term, the Opportunity Fund plans to help shorten the historic wealth gap and boost the potential for generational wealth in Black families.
About HBCU Tour
HBCU Tour was created in late 2020 to connect HBCUs (Historically Balck Colleges and Universities) and help them offer resources such as workshops, scholarships, career fairs, events, networking, and advocacy for HBCU business platforms. HBCU Tour offers businesses and students the opportunity to become vendors on their central online marketplace for HBCUs and minorities. Since its founding, HBCU Tour has gained over 1500 signed-up vendors, more than 1,000 customers, and has its two apps, HBCU Tour and HBCU Tour Marketplace available on the App Store and Google Play.
Learn more about the impacts from the Mountain Dew Contest on HBCU Tour by visiting their website (www.hbcutour.com) or by downloading HBCU Tour or HBCU Tour Marketplace on your mobile phone. To read more about the Mountain Dew Real Change Opportunity Fund, visit their website or YouTube series, showcasing many of the competitors and winners of the funds.
Source: HBCU Tour
