Camelback Ventures Welcomes 13th Fellowship Cohort of Social Impact Innovators In Education + Conscious Tech
Camelback Ventures is proud to welcome our 13th cohort of education and conscious tech innovators as part of our rigorous fellowship supporting undervalued entrepreneurs leading social impact ventures across the United States. Selected for their unwavering commitment to advancing social justice causes and their unique visions for creating positive change in their communities, these 12 Founders are addressing systemic inequalities and promoting equity across their sectors which include reproductive justice, health, education, financial prosperity, support for justice-affected communities and workforce development.
“As we welcome our dynamic new cohort of Camelback Fellows, we’re energized by their passion and commitment to driving equitable innovation in education and technology. Together, we’ll forge pathways to empower our diverse communities and create lasting change for the world.”, said Shawna Young, Camelback Ventures CEO.
The 2024 cohort proudly joins our community of 160+ entrepreneurs (and counting!) - a group we lovingly call the #CamelbackFam!
Learn more about them and their revolutionary work below:
2024 Camelback Fellows
Education
Fellows are listed alphabetically by Founder name, and share details as provided by leaders. Education Fellows may be nonprofits, for-profits, hybrids, or schools.
ADRIAN DEVEZIN, executive director of Empowr
Atlanta, GA - Nonprofit - https://empowrco.org
Empowr teaches software development to high school students of color, establishing the school-to-career pipeline.
Adrian on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I'm feeling blessed. I know this is where I'm meant to be. The thing I have heard time and time again is that the community of Camelback is unmatched.”
CHANDRA SLEDGE MATHIAS, founder & CEO of Sledge Institute
Henderson, NC - Nonprofit - http://www.sledgeinstitute.org
The Sledge Institute is a new charter school opening in Vance County, NC, serving students in the Kerr Tar region of North Carolina.
Chandra on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I'm excited to go through this process. I'm a repeat applicant and I feel that the feedback and tools shared after my prior interviews was very helpful.”
GABRIELA LOPEZ, program director of The Charles Roundtree Bloom Project
San Antonio, TX - Nonprofit - https://www.crbloomproject.org
The Bloom Project’s purpose is to foster a connection to the land, create a sense of community among our youth, and promote healing from trauma that is resulted from social and environmental injustices.
Gabriela on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “The one word that best describes my feelings at the moment is ‘gratitude.’ I believe in my mission and work, and it feels so empowering to know that others believe in it too. I feel excited to become the leader that my community deserves. If I become a Camelback fellow it will be transformational for myself and the youth I serve.”
HILLARY DO, founder & executive director of Build Our Lives Together
Philadelphia, PA - Nonprofit - https://www.phillybolt.org
Build Our Lives Together cultivates, supports, and empowers grassroots leaders to drive community-led change. We work with public school students in low-income BIPOC neighborhoods to build a pipeline of leaders with lived experience.
Hillary on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I've heard so many wonderful things about Camelback from previous participants!”
MELISSA CARNAGEY, founder of Sex Positive Families
Austin, TX - For Profit - https://sexpositivefamilies.com
Sex Positive Families (SPF) is an online sexual health education platform that teaches families of tweens, teens, and trusted adults how to learn and connect - without shame or taboo- about bodies, puberty, sex, and porn literacy.
Melissa on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I'm excited to be a part of a community of fellow visionaries and disruptors in education who are fearlessly innovating to support youth and families. I'm also excited about the chance to receive personalized coaching, leadership development, and financial backing to help me next-level this work with the primary goal of reaching even more tweens, teens, and parents with shame-free sex education!”
STEPHANE MANUEL, founder of TrueFitkion
Chicago, IL - For Profit - https://www.truefiktion.com
TrueFiktion provides culturally responsive historical fiction comics and curricula for secondary classrooms, taking students on a journey through time to discover stories of everyday people shaping U.S. history while teaching them to think critically about their impact on current social issues
Stephane on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I'm excited to keep pushing the envelope with a talented group of individuals.”
Conscious Tech
Fellows are listed alphabetically by Founder name, and share details as provided by leaders. Conscious Tech Fellows may be nonprofits, for-profits, or hybrids.
DAVID HENDERSON, founder of Giving Credit
Philadelphia, PA - Nonprofit - https://www.givingcredit.org
Giving Credit is a web-based social credit network that amplifies community finance by bringing transparency to social credit networks, protecting peer lenders against loan loss through loan guarantees, reporting informal loan repayment to credit bureaus, and enabling lenders to deduct loan loss from income taxes.
David on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I'm energized about being in a cohort of Conscious Tech Fellows. I've worked at the intersections of social issues and technology my whole career. Tech has such potential to create social value. Being in community with other technical social entrepreneurs will make Giving Credit better, and give me the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the social innovations of my cohort members.”
ISIS ASHFORD, cofounder & COO of Greens Health by Xplosion Technology
Houston, TX - For Profit - https://www.xplosionlive.com
Greens Health is a tech-driven venture dedicated to revolutionizing diabetes management for underserved communities through a personalized, AI-powered platform that addresses both medical and social determinants of health.
Isis on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I'm genuinely thrilled at the thought of immersing myself in a community brimming with kindred spirits and purpose-driven companies, all fervently pursuing ambitious goals within a tight 3- to 5-year timeframe. What truly excites me is the chance to glean invaluable wisdom from mentors and fellow founders, delving into their remarkable journeys of achieving greatness against all odds, often with scarce resources. Their tales of resilience and creativity in fostering sustainable growth serve as a wellspring of inspiration for me.
Furthermore, I can't wait to connect with individuals who share similar backgrounds, having defied norms and statistics in the challenging realms of investment and entrepreneurship. Witnessing their unwavering commitment to progress while navigating the complexities of community dynamics fills me with anticipation. I'm particularly eager to explore the delicate balance between staying true to a mission-driven ethos while ensuring profitability, without compromising on the overarching vision that propels us forward.
In essence, this opportunity represents more than just a networking event—it's a convergence of shared experiences, resilience, and collective ambition, poised to reshape our perspectives and ignite transformative action.”
JULIE CICCOLINI, CEO of Techtivist
Scottsdale, AZ - For Profit - https://www.techtivist.com
Techtivist supports software for public defenders and innocence organizations to track, aggregate, and analyze data about police and prosecutor misconduct.
Julie on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “My heart skipped a beat as soon as I read "with great excitement" in your email. It's a boost of confidence to be chosen out of so many applicants. I'm grateful, honored, and proud that the effort I put in to become a better writer/speaker/storyteller allowed me to explain my work in a way that you could believe in it too. It makes me want to become a fellow even more because I know I will gain so much value from this Fellowship and be able to pour it back into the meaningful work at Techtivist.
A year ago, I challenged myself to hike Mount Kilimanjaro - the tallest mountain in Africa - without any mountaineering experience. After 6 days of climbing and camping in high altitude and through unexpected wildfires, we set out in the middle of the night to make our summit attempt. After a few hours of climbing, the sun began to rise and my legs started to give way. My guide quietly reached over, grabbed my backpack off my back, and put it on his. It was the helping hand I needed in that moment to know that I could succeed, keep slowly putting one foot in front of the other, and ultimately, stand above the clouds at the summit.
Getting this Fellowship feels the same - like someone who believes in me is taking a little bit of the heavy weight off my back so that I can be successful. In both cases, I might be able to make it to the top on my own, but it would be much slower, much more painful, and with a lot of incorrect detours along the way. I will be extremely grateful and forever indebted to have guidance through Camelback.”
KIM SMITH, founder & CEO of Health Evolve
Columbia, SC - For Profit - https://healthevolve.co
LAUREN by Health Evolve is a patient navigator to help women manage their health and engage with their personal, culturally responsive digital care village outside of the walls of the clinic from pregnancy and beyond.
Kim on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “Right now, I am laser focused. The marketplace can be extremely noisy, but my team and I have been fortunate to build a solution with our target market. I am also somewhat cautious of the current VC space, as a Black founder. My priority is to first build a profitable moat with a powerful value before raising our first Seed Round.”
MELINH ROZEN, co-founder & co-executive director of Euki
Charlotte, NC - Nonprofit - https://eukiapp.org
Euki is a tech-forward nonprofit on a mission to co-create accessible, private, and secure digital health tools with and for people and communities facing barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare and education.
Melinh on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “Becoming a Fellow has been simultaneously validating and humbling. As in my application, I am most excited about the community of peers in my cohort. However, since my application, I am now even more excited about and grateful for the potential of the coaching and mentorship. I am realizing how nice it will be as an entrepreneur to have a coach so that there is still someone beyond myself thinking about how I can continue to grow as a leader and holding me accountable towards that growth.”
SARAH MEDINA CAMISCOLI, founding co-executive director of The Peer Defense Project
New York City, NY - Nonprofit - http://www.peerdefense.org
Peer Defense Project makes law a super power for youth leaders.
Sarah on becoming a Camelback Fellow: “I am feeling excited to share the growth that emerged from your feedback two years ago, and inspired to share our blue flame legal tools for movement leaders!”
Since 2015, Camelback Ventures has invested more than $10-million into emerging entrepreneurs across the country. The 2024 Camelback Fellowship is grateful for the generous support of the Ballmer Group, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Kenan Charitable Trust, Margulf Foundation, McCance Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation.
You can learn more about the Camelback Ventures’ Fellowship and meet past fellows. Camelback Ventures’ next fellowship application window will open in August of 2024. Interested in joining our next fellowship cohort? Fill out our interest form today!