DeKalb County, Georgia, natives Jevon Tatum and Carl White III took second place at the recent Historically Black Colleges and Universities Business Pitch Competition during the Magic City Classic. The event was hosted by the Alabama Collective. The pair pitched Movespot, a business idea by White and Seth Asra. The pitch beat seven other teams in the final phase, winning a $5,000 prize.
The Alabama Collective is led by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, along with Tech Birmingham CEO Deon Gordon and TechMGM Executive Director Charisse Stokes. The group works to elevate minorities in the tech industry and provide learning opportunities through corporate partnerships.
Stokes said events like the HBCU Business Pitch Competition highlight the importance of HBCUs to aspiring entrepreneurs. “This event serves as a remarkable testament to the influential role of HBCUs in shaping the minds of young entrepreneurs,” she said.
Movespot, the second-place winner, is a social media and online ticketing platform designed to serve as a mental health space. The app sends daily motivational quotes and encourages interaction outside the platform through an online ticketing feature that connects users with events. White and Asra secured an angel investment for Movespot and launched a beta version of the app in 2021.
Tatum, from the same area in East Atlanta as the Movespot team, became the company’s marketing coordinator. After learning about the HBCU Business Pitch Competition from Ginger L. Stewart, MBA director at Talladega College, the team began working on their pitch.
Stewart’s support was instrumental in their success. “She has taught me a lot about business and given me a different perspective on how to look at life,” Tatum said. The team plans to use the prize money to update the app, which is set to launch soon, and build connections with other startups and mental health organizations.
The competition was judged by a panel of business executives, including Jennifer Anderson of JSA Consulting, Anthony Hood of First Horizon Bank, Rep. Kelvin Lawrence of the Alabama House of Representatives, Eboni Major of Major in Whiskey, Bakari Miller of Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), Ronald Smith of Precise Tax, Jason Watters of Alabama Power and Amanda Williams of Gener8tor.
For more information about intercollegiate academic competitions like the HBCU Business Pitch Competition, please email Tanaira Rounds, Director of Intercollegiate Academic Programs and Recruiting, at trounds@talladega.edu.
