Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) June 23, 2014
Nichelle McCall, CEO and Founder of BOLD Guidance software will compete for a chance to win $25,000 and access to a network of potential investors at this year’s ESSENCE Festival. In addition, the finalist whose business model best captivates the audience takes home a $5,000 cash prize.
Though the ESSENCE Festival begins on Thursday, July 3, 2014, the actual PowerMoves.NOLA Entrepreneurship Showcase is set to take place on Saturday, July 5, 2014 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. McCall will be featured alongside three other entrepreneurs to pitch her company at the competition, sponsored by Chevron Energy.
Dedicated to celebrate the legacy of black entrepreneurs and minority-owned businesses, the Chevron PowerMoves Power Pitch Competition, presented by Coca-Cola, is designed to increase access to information and resources for underrepresented business owners. PowerMoves.NOLA provides black entrepreneurs access to capital, high-impact mentors and technical resources.
The ESSENCE Festival, home to the largest premiere of African-American music and culture, is celebrated each year in New Orleans with over 540,000 people in attendance. As a safe haven for the celebration of black cultural traditions and customs, the event provides an opportunity to showcase and reward outstanding black-owned businesses throughout the nation. Blacks represent the largest minority consumer demographic, with a buying power of $1 trillion yet reported in the U.S. Census Bureau’s “2007 Survey of Business Owners.” This platform provides visibility and promotion of the continued progression of black entrepreneurship, which is proportionally underrepresented in today’s market.
Black owned business increased by 60.5 percent from 2002-2007, yet, only 2.5 percent where businesses focused in the educational service industry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Featured as the only education technology company in the PowerMoves.NOLA pitch competition, Nichelle McCall is an emerging leader whose innovations in today’s educational technology industry demonstrate the growing potential of black-owned enterprises.
The Chevron PowerMoves pitch competition is a platform to increase the visibility of high growth, Black-owned businesses and help Black entrepreneurs overcome the limitations that often keep their businesses from thriving and being embraced by the investment community and the broader economy,” Allen Square, Board Member of The New Orleans Startup Fund, expresses.
McCall’s company, BOLD Guidance, is a growing interactive platform that allows students to navigate the college application process, and mitigates the overwhelming to-do lists students face to gain admission into their desired colleges and universities.
“BOLD Guidance empowers students to be the gatekeeper of their futures, demonstrating that applying to college is an experience from conception to completion,” says McCall.
From a young age, McCall was taught to think, act and live BOLD, embracing the true value of education. “The college application is a document where students showcase their intangible talents that sets them apart from their counterparts. This academic platform stages students to articulate who they are, what their life experiences mean and how they identify and interact with the world around them. From this, students can act on their growing desire to become a part of a historic cultural phenomenon believing that college is their ticket to aspirations,” says McCall.
McCall is excited to be featured as an entrepreneur in the PowerMoves.NOLA Entrepreneurship Showcase, and hopes the opportunity will inspire others to pursue their goals.
To learn more about BOLD Guidance, Inc., contact Grace Moenich, at grace.moenich(at)flashstarts(dot)com.
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About BOLD Guidance
BOLD Guidance simplifies applying to college through a web-based software that works across phones, tablets, and computers. The Cleveland-based software startup guides students through the complicated college application process and allows counselors and parents view their progress. Students can stay on task by following interactive checklists and will receive automated reminders for deadlines specific to individual colleges’ applications. BOLD Guidance makes the college application process less stressful and more efficient for everyone. For more information or to purchase BOLD Guidance, visit http://www.boldguidance.com.