NORFOLK, Va. — Black BRAND is reuniting entrepreneurs for another year with their Black Diamond Weekend conference in Downtown Norfolk.
“We need this time of inspiration, encouragement, information to be able to transform our businesses for the coming year,” said Blair Durham, the co-founder of Black BRAND.
Kim Sudderth is attending the conference for the first time and hopes to develop new skills and connect with other business leaders.
“Just an hour and a half in, I’m already filled with a lot of information,” she said.
Blair Durham said this conference provides a space in the business industry where they feel represented.
“Many minority business owners report feeling as if they don’t belong, as if the language is too unfamiliar,” she said.
Some sessions include information on marketing a business, developing a tech business and content for creatives.
Thursday morning, the organization kicked off the three-day conference with a panel on women in leadership positions.
“Putting that ensemble together and them being vulnerable in that moment and sharing the challenges and triumphs,” Sudderth said.
On Friday, Durham says the organization will hold a pitch contest called PitchBlack 2, where they will award a total of $13,000 to two Black tech founders.
They hosted the first contest last week during the Mighty Dream Forum.
“Our total investment from IKEA was $25,000. We did approximately half of it during Mighty Dream Forum,” she said.
Durham felt inspired partnering with Pharrell Williams on that endeavor and hopes to further continue the mission to invest in entrepreneurs.
“To be able to see him kind of leverage all that is taking place to support Black-owned businesses," Durham said.
"That $2.5 million investment, it did nothing but really elevate and amplify the work that we’re doing. Boots on the ground, everyday, to accelerate these businesses."