SERGIO: "The Anyone's Learning Experience (ALEX) Team is excited and humbled to be a finalist for Camelback Ventures! We are passionate about increasing access to higher education as a means of creating pathways our of poverty. Crossing our fingers, to potentially join a like-minded game changing community of color to help each other persist and excel through this tough start-up journey!"

About ALEX
ALEX is an online marketplace where people can advance their careers by taking individual courses from across universities. In a world where we can place people onto empty seats in cars and empty beds in houses, ALEX places people onto empty seats in classrooms.

LIDA: "2016 was a big year for ClassTracks: a pivot, our official product launch, growing our team and our first sales. 2017 will be all about execution and momentum so we can serve more teachers to empower more students. I'm most excited about working with our newest team members - who have already risen to every challenge we've thrown at them - to tackle even bigger goals this year!"

About ClassTracks
ClassTracks is a web-based content creation and assessment platform whose purpose is to help English Language Learners bridge the 20,000 word gap more quickly. ClassTracks allows teachers to assign custom vocabulary lessons to meet their students' unique needs and then guides students to complete each lesson through a highly-effective, game-like interface.

MARQUETT: "I still think of myself as a teacher, which is how I started my career. Young people need examples. Fletch, a technology company, lead by an African American, CEO is now backed by a venture capital firm created by an African American man. This matters."

About Fletch
Fletch is an app that helps colleges increase utilization, efficiency and effectiveness of the support services that drive student retention and graduation.

DAMON: "We have incredible momentum behind our program. I am very excited to see what we can continue to build on the organizational pillars we built in 2016. I'm enjoying a nice holiday break but I'm chomping at the bit to get back to work."

About Gameheads
Gameheads is a youth program at United Roots’ Youth Impact Hub whose goal is to prepare low income youth and youth of color (ages 15-24) for a career in the tech and video game industry. The intention of the Gameheads program is to address the knowledge divide but to do so in a way that is focused on one arm of the tech field: electronic entertainment. Participants of Gameheads will learn how to create, code and design games, building skills across a variety of disciplines from visual art, creative writing, design, programming, sound design, animation, game theory and history.

SHAMBREKIÁ: "Having an organization as highly respected as Camelback Ventures validate my work is more than an honor. I have never been more excited about bringing an idea to life than I have about INRICHME and I am THRILLED to have made it this far in the process. The levels of success for users are boundless with my application and the hope for achieving what may have seemed impossible would only be a few clicks away. I am humbled to present my dream to people who value the same fundamental beliefs I do. Simply put, I consider it a blessing and I look forward to have the chance to grow my idea into its full potential utilizing the guidance and leadership skills I would receive by being a named Camelback Fellow. Many Thanks!"

About INrichME
The mission of INrichME is to empower students to achieve academic advancement through boundless interaction while creating a network of respectable, confident leaders. We plan to connect current students with their peers by assisting them in locating other classmates and colleagues on their respected campuses who are able to offer tutoring services, study groups and even mentor opportunities to those individuals who truly need them. 

XIAOHOA: "I feel fortunate to pursue my passion; to build a technology startup focused on increasing equity in education. I am honored to be included as a finalist for Camelback Ventures because it means I have the support of a community that recognizes the value of supporting diverse leaders to drive innovation. This year, I’m most excited to do the work necessary to truly make the dream of serving every single student a reality."

About Literator
Literator frees schools from relying on infrequent testing data by providing actionable insights through daily observations. We replace paper tools with a mobile app that guides teachers through collecting individual student data. We also provide schools with a dashboard that alerts administrators to problem areas throughout their organization.

DEENA: "I am so excited to be a finalist for the CamelBack Fellowship! The opportunity to become a CamelBack Fellow and work with and learn from other like-minded entrepreneurs would forever change the trajectory of our business. While we had a successful Kickstarter campaign and launch of the DreamKeepers Box in 2016, we still have a long way to go. In 2017, we will focus on scaling our business and establishing strategic partnerships to bring our product to more children and families."

About Mind Hatchery
Mind Hatchery produces the DreamKeepers Box, a monthly subscription box curated for children age 8-12. Each box allows children to explore a wide-variety of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) careers and learn about African American heroes in the focus industry.

TYLER: "I'm feeling great! I'm most excited about building the Peer Connect brand and providing quality training services to schools interested in shifting culture. It is a great feeling to build capacity within all stakeholders so that they can empower themselves to effect change."

About Peer Connect
We train both youth and adult stakeholders to build, engage in and sustain community relationships, restorative practices and youth voice.

TONY: "I feel humbled and fortunate to be considered for the Camelback Ventures Fellowship. I'm excited to share my passion for media literacy and storytelling with the Camelback team. In 2017, I'm most excited about empowering students around the country with the tools needed to use media for social change."

About WeirdEnough Productions
WeirdEnough Productions is a multimedia production company specifically dedicated to creating positive media images of people of color. We create original content that combats media stereotypes and we deliver information about media literacy to the communities that need it most. 

SAGE: There's a phrase from my artists friends that goes, 'All we ever needed was a stage'! As an entrepreneur of color, real mentorship, skill building, and capital is that stage. I'm exuberant that 2017 will be the year we get the platform we need to really scale to our potential!

About Words Liive
Words Liive believes our students are effectively communicating sophisticated themes, ideas, and thoughts through multiple formats everyday. Words Liive provides new approaches to literacy using contemporary languages such as the lyrics of urban music and code/computer programming languages.