Black Girl Ventures is launching a pitch bootcamp in DC

Black Girl Ventures, the event series founded by D.C. entrepreneur Shelly Bell as part-pitch competition, part-crowdfunding campaign, is bringing its first pitch bootcamp to the District later this month.

As you may already know, only 2.2 percent of venture capital went to all women-founded companies in the U.S. in 2018. Black Girl Ventures was created to give more access to funding for black and brown women specifically from all entrepreneurial backgrounds.

The two-day intensive workshop will take place August 10 and 11 at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University. Attendees can expect to create a pitch deck, practice pitching their ventures in a safe place, learn how to apply for pitch competitions and access to a network of founders and investors.

The bootcamp also includes a Black Girl Ventures swag bag and lunch.

This new event comes after Black Girl Ventures recently wrapped another D.C. pitch competition on June 20 where nine women founders hit the stage. Three came out on top, beating out the rest of the competition. Here’s a recap of the winners:

• 1st place: Priscilla Addison of 57 Chocolates, a startup that makes chocolate crafted from the bean in Ghana.
• 2nd place: Erica Harding of Lizzmore, a D.C.-based companies that creates business and professional clothing that features a moisture tech to protect from sweat stains.
• 3rd place: Hannah Davis of Vikara Village, a yoga startup with a mission to empower its local community in Rockville, Md.