CTIA Wireless Foundation Partners with Camelback Ventures to Accelerate the Impactful Work of Entrepreneurs of Color

CTIA Wireless Foundation envisions the responsible and inclusive use of wireless technology as a catalyst for the common good in a connected era. We recommit to that mission today as America looks inward and charts a new course to remove barriers to opportunity and enable people from all communities and walks of life to thrive.

Wireless connectivity is essential for many and we see the power of wireless every day in communities of color—95% of Hispanic households and 92% of African-American households have a smartphone, while the total population is at 90% (Nielsen). Black and Hispanic adults are also more likely to be smartphone-only broadband users (Pew). This makes wireless an ideal platform for encouraging the voices, ideas and innovations of communities of color.

Camelback Ventures is an accelerator that through the identification, development and promotion of early-stage underrepresented entrepreneurs, aims to increase individual and community education.  CTIA Wireless Foundation is proud to announce our support of Camelback Ventures and the founders that are working daily to solve these important issues. Since its inception in 2015, over 75 social entrepreneurs have participated in Camelback’s accelerator programming, many of whom have used wireless to achieve social impact.

Camelback Ventures’ premier initiative, the Camelback Fellowship, is a six-month program supporting the development of social entrepreneurs and their ventures. Through coaching, capital and connections, the fellowship emphasizes a focus on entrepreneurial growth through a series of summits and a culminating Showcase.

Since 2015, 94% of the entrepreneurs who have participated in the fellowship identified as people of color, and 60% as women. The program has received over 1,500 applications and has a 4% acceptance rate.

“Wireless is a great equalizer,” said CTIA Wireless Foundation President Meredith Attwell Baker. “Our new partnership with Camelback Ventures helps identify, develop and promote social enterprises built by entrepreneurs of color that are using the power of wireless to catalyze societal change.”

Fellowship alumni have been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, Echoing Green and the Obama Fellowship. We are proud to have Camelback alum, MindRight Health as a 2020 Catalyst Finalist.  Previous alumni who use wireless technology include:

• Konekti: A mobile app and online platform to facilitate communication among students, parents and teachers.
• Liberate: A meditation app designed for the Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities, which offers resources for common cultural experiences, like internalized racism and micro-aggressions.
• Movers & Shakers: Creates augmented reality to teach the history of marginalized people in classrooms, cultural institutions and public spaces.
• Uvii: A remote learning app that allows instructors to engage with, teach and respond to students using a combination of video, audio and text messages.

To celebrate the culmination of the 2020 Fellowship, we are proud to sponsor Camelback Ventures Ruthless Pitches showcase. On June 24 from 3:00 – 4:45 pm ET, this digital event will feature the 2020 founders presenting 4-minute pitches.

We are humbled to have a role in this event, which spotlights the solutions these founders are creating to challenges faced by untapped and underrepresented individuals and communities across the county.

For more information on the event, see here.