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Startups

Is the Next Billion Dollar Company in South LA?

Multicultural millennial consumers are one of the fastest growing segments of the population across the United States of America and they are engaged with technology like never before. And they are the ‘super consumers’—young, connected, culturally aware and socially active—notes the trends report State of Technology and Culture: Culture A$ Currency released by venture capital firm Cross Culture Ventures.

As the
 U.S. population shifts and becomes more and more diverse, founders who take an inclusive approach in serving this market are poised launch the next billion-dollar companies. Founders with this mindset can not only realize revenue, but also affect change, unlocking new markets and opportunities and influencing global culture and trends. And with the right support, strategy, and execution, the next billion-dollar startup can most certainly bloom in South LA.

Startups who see the data showing that 86{5be84514e8f68b2a600bba95dc743ad17e8b7c13eea9b1550b2859fef5fde271} of Latinos, 76{5be84514e8f68b2a600bba95dc743ad17e8b7c13eea9b1550b2859fef5fde271} of Blacks, and 88{5be84514e8f68b2a600bba95dc743ad17e8b7c13eea9b1550b2859fef5fde271} of Asians are early adopters and heavy consumers are beginning to create products with specific use cases in multicultural markets. From deeply multicultural-focused beauty lines like the Rihanna-founded Fenty (whose groundbreaking 40 shades of foundation saw its darkest hues sell out in a flash) to financial services and beyond, there is still plenty of room for upstarts to shake things up.

See Cross Culture Ventures founder and managing partner Marlon Nichols discuss where these opportunities are, how to leverage them, and connect with the ‘super consumer’ population during the Urban Tech Connect segment Culture as Currency: The Next Billion-Dollar Company, alongside Ignition Factory founder Chris Denson on May 17, 2018, in Los Angeles. Get your tickets now.


Nielsen study the Multicultural Edge reports that multicultural consumers, the fastest growing segment in the United States, total more than 120 million and are increasing by 2.3 million per year. The growth engine of the future in the U.S. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and other multiculturals comprise 38{5be84514e8f68b2a600bba95dc743ad17e8b7c13eea9b1550b2859fef5fde271} of the U.S. population right now, with Census projections logging multicultural populations as the numeric majority by 2044. The addition of a MENA category for people of Middle Eastern or North African descent (who are currently identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as NHWhite) on the 2020 decennial census is under review, and could potentially change the date of the majority-minority tipping point, Nielsen said.

 

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How Our Lunch and Learn Series Empowers Founders

 

Plug-In Lunch and Learns are designed to help cultivate the next generation of founders and entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. Our meetings and workshops take place in South LA and around Los Angeles at leading VC firms, corporations, entertainment, and digital media studios . If you’d like to be a featured presenter at one our programs, please get in touch by providing the information below. We’ll review and get in touch if we think we can help.

Sign up here to present and or be featured in a future session!

Here’s what folks are saying: 

I’ve enjoyed participating in Derek Smith’s lunch and learn series via Plug in South LA.  For me, it’s a great opportunity to contribute to the growing entrepreneurial fabric of Los Angeles and to connect with emerging entrepreneurs and underrepresented founders in an open dialogue about their businesses.  I learned a lot in my first lunch and learn experience and look forward to participating again in the future.

Cody Simms, Techstars

The lunch and learn series gives entrepreneurs a chance to workshop their vision with a hand-picked group of insightful founders and venture professionals without the added pressure of a formal pitch. Its particularly helpful for minority founders because we often lack the organic networks in tech that provide opportunities for open discussion and informal feedback. In an arena where access is the prime mover, there is tremendous value in the rare opportunity to just be heard.

Jibril Jackson, Founder of HYVE

I had a wonderful time being open and vulnerable in a safe place during the Lunch & Learn Series.  I was nervous at first because It’s not always easy pitching your business to experts, but the program made it safe and conducive. Everyone with a great idea and business plan would be lucky to be apart of this opportunity!

Jeff Boodie, Founder of JobSnap

I love that the lunch and learn provides founders the opportunity to deep dive into challenges with other well established entrepreneurs and investors. The feedback and recommendations I was given was an invaluable source of information that I could not have gotten from anywhere else. Apart from my learnings I was also very empowered as a black female founder; this experience made me apart of a larger community, one that changed my lack of resources and has exceleratored my ability to build key relationships with VC’s and founders alike.

 

Brittney Carter, Founder of QUE-UE

As a VC I typically don’t have the time to give every founder I speak with as much in-depth, actionable feedback as I would like, but the Lunch & Learn series solves this through a dedicated working session. It creates an intimate environment where early stage investors and successful entrepreneurs can provide guidance to the founders who need it most. Many of the founders have made progress by turning their ideas into real products, but the Lunch and Learn series is designed to strategically take that business to the next level.

Austin Clements, TenOneTen Ventures