Comcast docs ‘Founding in Color’ and ‘Road to RISE’ share the ups and downs of being a Black or Latinx founder

The energy of the Comcast Technology Center’s Ralph J. Roberts Forum on Wednesday afternoon was literally sparkling. That is, founder Folasadé Ogunmokun was wearing a full sequined suit. But she wasn’t the only founder taking their moment to shine at the premiere of “Founding in Color” season two and “The Road to RISE” season one.

Comcast invited founders and other participants from the two documentaries to watch sneak peeks of them and participate in panels about their experiences.

“Founding in Color” is a docuseries that follows Black and Latinx founders as they talk about the up and downs of their entrepreneurial journey. The three-part series was created by Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs and its first season aired in 2021. This second season follows 11 founders from across the United States. It will available to watch on Peacock and Black Experience on Xfinity on Feb. 16.

“The Road to RISE” is a documentary that follows four small business owners who were part of Comcast’s RISE program, which launched at the end of 2020 to support small businesses who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This doc will also be available to watch on Feb. 16.

At the Wednesday launch event, Technical.ly talked to four of the featured founders about their experiences filming the documentaries, as well as their experiences as founders of color.

Founder stories, amplified

Ofo Ezeugwu, founder of rental services website WhoseYourLandlord, was featured in season two of “Founding in Color.”

A Temple University grad who splits time between Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Buffalo, Ezeugwu said the week of filming allowed all the founders to connect with each other.

“To me, being able to have our story amplified, it only just goes to highlight and show that what we’re doing is really important and impactful,” he said. “We exist and we’re out here doing it and growing.”

Even though the docuseries shows the founders recounting their struggles, Ezeugwu said he hopes people see the joy these founders still have for the process, too. He said there’s a lot of positivity in learning, growing, and sharing that with a team, friends and family: “I really want people to understand that it does take community to really make these businesses grow.

Hector Nuñez, founder of Philly events platform Wooder Ice, was featured in “The Road to RISE.” Nuñez said receiving a RISE grant and participating in the documentary was validating to his journey as an entrepreneur, and that programs like RISE give entrepreneurs the extra push to know they are on the right path.

Thus, the opportunity to talk about his journey and his business in front of Comcast’s audience is not lost on Nuñez, but he said he appreciates any sized platform to promote Wooder Ice. He said it doesn’t matter the size of the crowd, there could still be someone in that room who could change your life and your work.

(L to R) Regan Yeldell, Hector Nuñez, Jennifer Rodríguez and Grail Mortillaro. (Courtesy photo)

Nuñez said he hopes the ups and downs of people’s journeys in the documentary shows that you should chase your dreams no matter what, because if you have passion you can succeed.

“To create your own lane, it shows that it’s possible and to do what you love to do, and eventually you’ll be rewarded for it,” he said.

The sparkling Ogunmokun is the founder of Unskrypted, a shopping and streaming media network focused on Black-led content and businesses. She was featured in “Founding in Color.” While she normally focuses on telling other people’s stories on Unskrypted, she said her experience doing “Founding in Color” was so positive that it makes her want to be an even better storyteller.

“It feels like, ‘You know what, this is my time or this is our time because this isn’t just about me.’ This is definitely about all of the founders and even the ones that are at home that are going to watch it and want to be a part of this,” she said.

Ogunmokun, who is based in DC — read more about her work in this Technical.ly feature — said she watched the first season of “Founding in Color and thought to herself, “I want to do that.” She wants viewers of this season to see that there are founders of color working hard and being successful.

Specifically, she hopes people see that founders of color have great ideas that deserve amplification and funding to continue growing.

Folasadé Ogunmokun. (Courtesy photo)

Chris Witherspoon, the founder of New York City-based PopViewers, a content discovery platform, was featured in “Founding in Color.” He said the experience of telling his own story and reflecting on how far he’s come and where he wants to go was “therapeutic” and “inspiring.”

This series shows that founders of color often face obstacles that other founders don’t. Witherspoon said he hopes viewers take away how important it is to support businesses founded by people of color.

“I hope that people can watch the show, be inspired, laugh a little bit, be able to experience the heartfelt moments — and then figure out ways that they can support businesses like ours, support our businesses, and maybe even dream big enough to create their own business,” he said.

Advice for the road

These four founders also shared the following pieces of advice for fellow founders of color:

• Ezeugwu — “Persistence and keep learning,” he said. “If you constantly put yourself in positions to consume information, understand, ask questions, dig deeper, ask why five times, but keep going. You do those two things and you’ll make it wherever you’re trying to go.”
• Nuñez — “Collaboration over competition,” he said. “I think if we collaborate more instead of trying to [compete], we can go a lot further, not even as your own individual but as a collective, as Black and brown [founders].”
• Ogunmokun — “Give yourself grace,” she said. “In all of those moments, good and bad, you learn something, even when it’s uncomfortable, it’s a part of growth. So just having the grace to step back to step forwards, but to flow with whatever it is that’s happening is really important.”
• Witherspoon — “Fear is a part of the process, but put it in the back seat,” he said. “If you don’t see the example, be the example. So don’t be afraid that if you look around you don’t see founders who are like you.”