In partnership with the Chicago Bulls and Crown Royal, Bunker Labs will tip off a fourth Black Entrepreneurs Workshop Series this summer with a conversation with Bulls forward and entrepreneur Thaddeus Young. The fireside chat will be hosted by Renee Bobb, Navy veteran and, CEO of Renee Bobb Training and owner of the Music City Icons Professional Women’s Basketball Team.

Chicago Bulls’ Thaddeus Young

Young completed his 14th season in the NBA and is one of three active players to record 13,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, 1,800 assists and 1,400 steals in his career. He recently completed a Master of Business Administration degree and launched Reform Ventures, a private investment fund which provides value-added investment in early to late-stage companies. 

History of Black Entrepreneur Workshop

The Bunker Labs Black Entrepreneur Workshop Series launched in the summer of 2020 as a means to address challenges that disproportionately affect Black entrepreneurs, namely access to capital and business resources. According to SCORE data from August 2020, white-owned businesses were more than twice as likely to receive loans than Black-owned businesses, even as Black-owned businesses were more likely to apply for new loans. Similarly, Black-owned businesses were more likely to apply for but less likely to receive federal PPP funding. 

The workshop series is a cohort-based, eight-week program that provides participants with business resources, capital opportunities, mentorship, and a strong business network. Meet the newest cohort members.  

Black Entrepreneur Workshop Alumni

Entrepreneurs from the 2020 cohort have gone on to achieve significant funding, including:

• Zephrine Hanson, founder of Hampden Farms, won a $10,000 WeWork Black Owned Business grant and a $10,000 grant from the Creative Ideas Fund
• Carla Bond, founder and CEO of Upskill VR, won a $50,000 grant from the Google For Startups Black Founders Fund
• Love Hudson-Maggio, founder and CEO of Mar Dat, won a $50,000 grant from the Google For Startups Black Founders Fund

Learn More

The Black Entrepreneur Workshop Series strives to create immediate impact for Black-owned businesses by providing access to resources, capital, mentorship, and a strong network. Stay up to date on next cohort application window and learn more about Bunker Labs’ programs and resources, visit bunkerlabs.org.