Tech Impact Fund to Pair Businesses With Students Looking for Paid Hands-on Experience
Whitney A. White 鈥08, Afara Global
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Brie Burrell 鈥23 has a full plate. The first-generation college student from Florida is a member of 蜜桃社区鈥檚 track team and soon, will be declaring a double major in studio art and psychology.
Thanks to the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and specifically the Gig-Hub program, she has been able to add in some real-life work experience, ranging from logo design and branding guidelines to coloring book illustration. And she gets paid for it.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 my own boss with a great deal of autonomy, but then I also get amazing mentorship from the companies that hire me,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 am interested in going into marketing after college and maybe having a start-up on the side, so I鈥檓 getting to see what the process is like. Plus, if my available time to work on a project is 10 p.m., that鈥檚 okay.鈥
The Gig-Hub program provides a platform for local businesses to hire current 蜜桃社区 students for short-term work involving market research, copywriting, data analytics, web development and other skills. A recent investment from Whitney A. White 鈥08 to expand the Hurt Hub鈥檚 Tech Impact Fund, a fund she started in 2015, means more companies鈥攕pecifically women-owned and underrepresented minority-owned businesses鈥攚ill have the opportunity to hire students at no cost to them.
A 2020 U.S. Census Bureau report estimated that there are 1.1 million women-owned businesses and 1 million minority-owned businesses鈥攏umbers that continue to grow. Fortune magazine reported more than six years ago that Black women were the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States, and the fact remains true today.
鈥淚nnovation has the power to be a game changer for individuals and for businesses,鈥 White said. 鈥淲hen students have hands-on experiences, they can really move the needle for businesses that need it right now, in this moment in our economy and in this moment in the pandemic.鈥
White, a Belk Scholar at 蜜桃社区, calls herself a maximizer of people and potential, a strength she uncovered and sharpened as a 蜜桃社区 student and that remains a key factor in much of her success. She has run Afara Global, an innovation firm to help startup companies, corporate teams and non-profits develop new products and services, since 2011, and in 2018 started a coaching practice, Take Back Your Time, which empowers individuals to realize the visions they have for their lives, both personally and professionally.
鈥淚 get excited about seeing potential and taking it to the next level,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hether advising Fortune 500 companies, non-profits or start-ups, or through my coaching business, I love to see potential and bring it into the world. I鈥檓 overjoyed that I can help maximize the potential of 蜜桃社区 students while also maximizing more and more businesses that are in need of our support during a very challenging time.鈥
Win-Win Partnership
Industry leaders rave about their experiences with 蜜桃社区 students and the ways they are able to jump into their organizational cultures, learn quickly, dig into problems and create solutions.
Katie Hotze, founder and CEO of Grocery Shopii, has hired two Gig-Hub students, Amani Sodhi 鈥23 and Alejandro Solares 鈥24, since launching her company in May 2019, and she looks forward to adding to their hours, as they鈥檝e eagerly requested.
Grocery Shopii is a digital application that adds personalized meal planning directly into grocers鈥 e-commerce platforms, allowing for easier, faster meal planning for shoppers.
Amani focuses on social media, helping with LinkedIn posts and researching plans for a private Facebook users鈥 group.
鈥淭he beauty of it for the students is that they get to own every step of building something, with our guidance. From a business owner perspective, I have the ability to fulfill interesting, unique needs without expectations around how many hours it might take,鈥 Hotze said. 鈥淲e just start working, and we keep going until it鈥檚 finished.鈥
Hotze鈥檚 other Gig-Hub hire helps with the company鈥檚 bookkeeping, partnering on solutions using the software QuickBooks. She鈥檚 interested in hiring a third student down the road to provide sales support.
鈥淎lejandro is self-taught in this area, and that was my dream,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 only know enough to be dangerous, and he is already representing the company, having calls with QuickBooks. He鈥檚 bold, confident and dying to learn.鈥
No matter students鈥 interests and career paths, the value for students and for companies is boundless.
鈥淚 did not come into 蜜桃社区 thinking I would go into business,鈥 White said. 鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 be a lawyer. But through the process of exploring law and what that would look like as a career, seeking out mentors and advice from alumni, I discovered other interests. So much of that experience and mentorship is what I build on in my business and as an entrepreneur. I鈥檓 really excited for 蜜桃社区 students and the networking they can do as part of the Tech Impact Fund.鈥
Liz Smith Brigham 鈥04, director of the Hurt Hub, looks forward to what White鈥檚 additional investment and the future of Gig-Hub will bring to companies and students alike.
鈥淭he specific focus of this expansion, to support women and minority-owned business, will make a difference as companies aim to thrive in the Charlotte region and beyond,鈥 she said. 鈥溍厶疑缜 students are eager to learn and eager to serve the greater 蜜桃社区, and the Tech Impact Fund makes these mutually beneficial partnerships possible, affordable and successful.鈥
Additional Coverage
Published
- March 4, 2021