Names You Should Know: Finalists for the 2020 Camelback Fellowship

A NOTE FROM THE CAMELBACK TEAM:
A selection cycle is a rite of passage for any organization that hosts a program like ours, both for the applicants and the reviewers. Each year is an opportunity, a mutual reflection on what has changed, what has stayed the same, and how we navigate it. Some candidate names are familiar; some team members left and new ones have joined. Through it all, it is a process of information acceptance and review, with a splash of pensive values and energetic optimism. This year is one of great evolution for the Camelback team: we not only changed our technical system, but the content and structure of our application. We redefined the program itself, identifying three strategic sub-tracks and aligning our selection process accordingly. It’s part of what makes this list of social entrepreneurs so thrilling for us; the other is, of course, the work itself.
We are thrilled to introduce you to our 50 Finalists for the 2020 Camelback Fellowship. This is what we call our “would if we could” list; each leader and venture profiled here truly excites us. In particular, we want to highlight that, as we do each year, we saw repeat applicants who came back stronger and demonstrated their traction since last applying. This always inspires us, that not only did these leaders work hard to grow, but they took their time and trusted to share their work with us again. The next few weeks include final interviews and thorough due diligence review; we will select and announce our list of 20 - 25 Camelback Fellows in mid December. Congratulations to all Camelback Finalists, and thank you to all applicants to this year’s Fellowship. We hope you join us in celebrating these extraordinary leaders and their ambitious ventures.
2020 Finalists for the Camelback Fellowship
Education
Finalists are listed alphabetically by candidate’s first name, with organization details following as provided by the candidate. Education Finalists may be nonprofits, for-profits, hybrids, or schools. Schools are listed separately below.
Ones Up Education Fellowship
Nonprofit - Philadelphia, PA
Working to break cycles of generational poverty by empowering opportunity youth to invest in themselves, their families, and communities through holistic job training and personal development programming.
UPchieve
Nonprofit - Brooklyn, NY
UPchieve is the first urgent care provider in education: we connect low-income high schoolers with live tutors any time they need it.
Cafe Ama and SEEDS
Nonprofit - Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
We use coffee to develop youth entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico to eradicate poverty and provide a meaningful connection for coffee lovers aligned with social impact.
Youth Activism Project
Nonprofit - Washington, D.C.
The Youth Activism Project sparks, motivates, and trains teen civic leaders for systemic change.
BestFit, Inc.
For profit - Columbus, OH
BestFit uses data and storytelling to completely reimagine the college decision-making process for marginalized students and their counselors.
Local Impact Inc.
For profit - New York City, NY
Local is an education technology platform that gamifies civic participation and empowers students and educators to amplify their social impact in their communities.
NEX^ Inc.
Nonprofit - Washington, D.C.
We empower young people through relevant education and field engagement that will prepare them to advocate for, lead, and effectively make a change in their local and global communities.
Real Talk
Nonprofit - Chapel Hill, NC
Real Talk connects teens with authentic stories and trusted resources on sensitive topics to help them know they are not alone in their experiences growing up
School Board School
Nonprofit - Cincinnati, OH
We empower aspiring school board members and engaged citizens with the knowledge, skills, and network to drive systemic change.
Fit Lit
Nonprofit - Miami, FL
An after school program that combines fitness and literature to reduce obesity and low academic achievement for underrepresented youth.
Inspiring Minds NYC
Nonprofit - Brooklyn, NY
Inspiring Minds NYC is a culturally responsive community school model that builds a pipeline between the youth and their community through rites of passage programs, civic engagement, internships, college tours and youth conferences.
UVII
For profit - New York City, NY
Uvii is a mobile app and video plugin for LMS (Learning Management Systems) to post curriculum and respond with video comments from a smartphone amplifying student engagement and retention for faster more affordable learning outcomes, simply put Uvii is Snapchat meets Blackboard.
Black Women's Education League
Nonprofit - New York, NY
BWEL provides curated supports and services for black women educators in K-12 education focused on cultivating and retaining leaders.
www.bweleague.org (under construction)
ALAS
Nonprofit - New Orleans, LA
ALAS creates educational access for immigrant and court involved high school youth by training educators to do two things: advocate for students by writing mitigation letters to criminal court judges, and connect undocumented students with pro-bono or low bono legal representation.
Almost Fun
Nonprofit - New York City, NY
Almost Fun is reinventing test prep for underserved students through culturally relevant and relatable test prep delivered accessibly through an always free mobile app.
Soy Lector
Nonprofit - Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN
Close the achievement gap for Spanish and Somali students through Bi-literacy
ACCEPT
Nonprofit - New Orleans, LA
Through community, advocacy, and activism, ACCEPT will create an equitable and antiracist college admissions process and profession.
MindWorks Collaborative
Nonprofit - Riverdale, MD
MindWorks Collaborative co-creates spaces for diverse special educators to accelerate their impact and support one another through professional learning networks, a virtual community portal, and other programming grounded in anti-bias/anti-racist pedagogy and self-care.
The Upward Project
Nonprofit - Boston, MA
The Upward Project is a career-development program for high-achieving, first-generation college students from low-income families.
MindCatcher
Nonprofit - San Francisco, CA
MindCatcher cultivates the leadership capacity within educators to shift their practice from being educator-led to student-led by using diversity, equity and inclusion competencies.
HomeWorks Trenton
Nonprofit - Trenton, NJ
HomeWorks Trenton is a 501(c)(3) community-based, after-school boarding program that provides academic and social-emotional enrichment activities, dorm living and nutritious meals to supplement public schools, empower women, and build community leaders.
Learnabi
For profit - New York City, NY
Personalized academic support via your mobile phone.
KONEKTI
For profit - Phoenix, AZ
KONEKTI the Parent/Family Engagement Tech Tool to Achieve Student Success.
Marcy Lab School
Nonprofit - Brooklyn, NY
The Marcy Lab School redefines higher education by creating direct pathways to rapidly growing career fields for students who need it the most.
Typical Dearborn
Nonprofit - Dearborn, MI
Typical Dearborn invites Arab and/or Muslim American youth to take back the mic and discuss issues of identity, politics and culture as they uniquely impact our community.
Brothers at Peace
Nonprofit - New Orleans, LA
Brothers at Peace is a nonprofit organization created to provide care, recreation, and enriching programs to male youth 10 to 17 years of age.
Sacred Generations
Nonprofit - Native California
Sacred Generations is an intergenerational movement of healing dedicated to restoring Native land and people by organizing system-impacted tribal communities to end educational inequity, mass incarceration and climate injustice.
For Oak Cliff
Nonprofit - Dallas, TX
For Oak Cliff overall goal is liberation for our community, by organizing the community and serving as a convener we're able to provide resources and connect neighbors to service providers and experiences that remove the barriers of systemic oppression.
Education - Schools
Finalists are listed alphabetically by candidate’s first name, with organization details following as provided by the candidate. Education Finalists may be nonprofits, for-profits, hybrids, or schools. Non-schools are listed above.
The Anchor School
Nonprofit, School - Houston, TX
The Anchor School, a predominantly African American middle school, grades 5-8, ages 10-14, in the low-income communities of Third Ward and Sunnyside Houston that provides teachers, administrators AND students PD during the school day on Restorative and Trauma-Informed Practices, Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness, Social Emotional Learning, Wellness, and Mental Health.
Ivy New Orleans Leadership Academy
Nonprofit, School - New Orleans, LA
Ivy New Orleans Leadership Academy empowers female scholars in grades 6-12 to lead their way through academic support, leadership development, and targeted wellness programming.
The Leadership School
Nonprofit, School - Normandy, MO
The Leadership School is a new K-8 charter public school that puts student leadership at the center of learning.
Capital Experience Lab
Nonprofit, School - Washington, D.C.
Capital Experience Lab is middle school to high school model, immersing students in Washington DC museum, research and cultural learning centers connected to a meaningful inquiry based projected
Unbound Stockton Community School
Nonprofit, School - Stockton, CA
Unbound Stockton Community School is an intentionally integrated 4th-8th grade school in Stockton, California that teaches students how to work across lines of difference in our 21st Century society.
San Antonio Prep
Nonprofit, School - San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Prep is a middle and high school with a focus on relationships that prepares students for college and career success through community, collaboration, inquiry-based learning, and social justice.
Conscious Tech
Finalists are listed alphabetically by candidate’s first name, with organization details following as provided by the candidate. Conscious Tech Finalists may be may be nonprofits, for-profits, or hybrids.
Symba
Hybrid - San Francisco, CA
Symba is an all-female founded tech startup on a mission to empower people driving the gig economy with tools to ensure their job security.
Idea by Design
For profit - Providence, RI
An AI powered agnostic job matching platform
Resilient Wellness
Hybrid - Oakland, CA
Resilient Wellness works to coordinate the administrators, providers and students with th. e trauma healing services needed to address trauma induced behavioral health challenges and students with IEPS
SHtudy
For profit - Washington, D.C.
Shtudy is a career advancement platform that trains and connects top tech talent of color with companies who are striving to increase diversity and innovation within their workforce.
Movers and Shakers
Nonprofit - Brooklyn, NY
We use augmented reality to teach the history of marginalized people in the classroom and in public spaces.
Wiggle Room
For profit - Brooklyn, NY
Wiggle Room lets you capture, organize, and activate your trusted network of family and friends with the click of a button.
Smile With Joy
For profit - Oakland, CA
We have formulated a cavity reversing toothpaste designed with expecting mothers in mind.
smilewithjoy.net (work in progress)
Liberate
For profit - Greenwich, CT
Liberate is a meditation app created to support the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community on our path of healing and thriving.
HeatSeek
Nonprofit - New York City, NY
Heat Seek builds technology for housing justice by helping individuals living in underheated apartments document the temperature inside their homes and fight back against unjust landlords.
GovLia
For profit - Fort Lauderdale, FL
GovLia makes state and local government procurement easier for small and diverse businesses to foster economic opportunity and growth for diverse companies and communities.
Local Economies
Finalists are listed alphabetically by candidate’s first name, with organization details following as provided by the candidate. Local Economies Finalists may be for-profits or hybrids, and all must be based in New Orleans. If you are interested in partnering or learning more about the Local Economies program, please email nadiyah@camelbackventures.org
Cool Fruits
For profit - New Orleans, LA
Cool Fruit uses fresh fruit to create a healthy product that breaks the rules by being unapologetically delicious!
MeUs
For profit - New Orleans, LA
MeUs is revolutionizing how you start/grow a business, find a job, and ultimately become financially independent.
Dollar Pot
For profit - New Orleans, LA
DollarPot is a mobile app that allows users to create digital rotating savings clubs.
Bypass Line by Designumm Technology
For profit - New Orleans, LA
Designum is a solutions-based technology company that develop mobile apps and software to ease and eliminate pain points.