This startup is creating a platform to help entrepreneurs find what works

For a business building a product, getting user feedback is key to going from an idea on paper to something that’s used in the world. The simple act of asking people to try out a product and give their thoughts helps determine what potential users of a product will want, and what they want to skip.
For Ravent, that give-and-take is key to the product itself. According to founder Schapiro Kalu, the Maryland startup is creating a platform that will help ventures “bridge the gap” with consumers. Whether the businesses are in fashion, real estate or health and wellness, Kalu said there’s a common thread in that they all need to start talking with with consumers, and establish loyalty.
“We want to build an entire platform that’s built on small businesses and entrepreneurs reaching out to their consumers,” he said.
The first way they’re doing that is through interviewing business owners themselves. Kalu said he’s talked to entrepreneurs for a video series that’s being rolled out on the company’s website. It launched this month with an interview of Feyi Odukoya, the founder of Project Beautify You, which helps girls in under-resourced communities in Baltimore, Maryland and D.C. develop leadership skills through a curriculum. The videos are rolling out at the link below.
Watch the series
Kalu said it’s part of work to establish a community of entrepreneurs, and the series aims to talk to entrepreneurs looking to make an impact in their community.
The company is doing that work with events, as well. In March, Ravent hosted a launch party at Touchpoint Mondawmin in Baltimore. The event featured a panel of entrepreneurship experts like Mac Conwell of TEDCO and Sibley Edwards of Black Female Founders, as well as a fundraiser for Baltimore STEAM-through-dirt bikes program B-360.
Along with three others, Kalu is also continuing work on a platform that enables direct feedback, with plans for an initial product to be ready in the fall.