In the midst of last summer’s social justice protests, numerous companies expressed support for minority-owned businesses, and people have been watching to see whether they’d follow their social media posts with real action — and money.
 
Helping forge connections between Black business owners and major corporations’ resources is Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, who on Oct. 21 announced the launch of BrainTrust Founders Studio and the $100 million it secured in soft-value investments.

“There are corporations that have resources and tools, and they don’t even know how powerful those are for founders,” Bracken-Ferguson said. “With the best intentions, there’s no output because they don’t know how to get involved. This is how they can help.”

BrainTrust Founders Studio is an online platform that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to match startup founders with resources. Some of the corporate partners include New York City-based JPMorgan Chase, which is providing professional financial guidance and funding; San Francisco-based Salesforce, which has provided a year’s worth of licenses for its customer relationship management solutions; and Melbourne, Australia-based Afterpay, which is providing payment solutions and marketing support.

The membership-based program, which helps participants set and achieve goals, specifically caters to Black beauty and wellness company founders.
 
Bracken-Ferguson said she leveraged the network she has spent a career building. She has a background encompassing executive and entrepreneurial roles developing brands. For this initiative, her goal was to pull partners together to invest in founders at scale.
 
It’s a model that has potential for companies to emulate in any industry.
“I believe it comes down to genuine intentions — about understanding the need from the community I’m serving, really thinking through with partners what we need to do,” Bracken-Ferguson added. “I couldn’t do this by myself. It will take a brain trust and community.”