Project by: Phill Coleman (Entrepreneur in Residence)
One-liner: Exposing black and brown communities to the benefits of blockchain technology by helping organizations establish educational programs.
Project Summary: I aim to establish educational programming for BIPOC that introduces participants to the advantages of blockchain technology.
Progress Report for February
Restoring The Fundamentals (Grant Project)
- Secured South East Chicago Commission grant support
- Hosted IG Live w/ influencer to discuss upcoming program. Reach of 50-100 ppl
- Hosted webinar w/ q/a for interested participants. 20+ in attendance. Followed up with all attendees via email to share a guided walkthrough on creating a NEAR wallet and a promise to send over free NEAR tokens to their single use funding address, once created.
- Applications are open until end of March. link
- Program kicks-off on April 9th
- Currently finalizing program dashboard to give participants ability to earn NEAR through QSTN.
The Gray Matter Experience (Grant Project)
- Continuing curriculum development w/ TGME team
- Securing interested Chicago public school partner
- Currently creating program dashboard to give participants ability to earn NEAR through QSTN.
*Provided guidance through NEAR education modules to assist TGME team w/ blockchain learning curve. - Currently planning an in-person/virtual event w/ Comcast for end of June. The event will be a community town hall geared towards the advancement of blockchain technology in black and brown communities. A panel will discuss fears, trepidations, and experiences w/ these new innovations. Currently securing space, other sponsors, etc.
Entrepreneurial Activity
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This month, I taught a workshop at the College of Dupage discussing emerging industries and how to have an innovative mindset. There was a mix of college students, faculty, and entrepreneurs in attendance. We had a great conversation and I’ve been invited back to speak. All in attendance were exposed to NEAR and I followed up with attendees via email to share links to guided walkthroughs for creating a NEAR wallet. I also included NEAR grant information, as well.
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I’ve been invited to speak (virtually) at Ashesi University in Ghana near the end of March. They’ve also asked me to join their entrepreneur accelerator as a coach of two companies. One is a blockchain company focused on creating on & off ramp services that allow people to use local banks, mobile money services, and currencies to experience the crypto industry. The other is a social impact company focused on reinventing the food value chain in Africa to provide convenient access to quality food goods at affordable prices to reduce hunger and malnutrition. Both companies would benefit from the NEAR ecosystem resources and community. We are continuing conversations this week to iron out the details.
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Aligned w/ NEAR marketing team to discuss upcoming marketing opportunities. Had a great conversation and are looking to align on an upcoming marketing initiative. Currently on the lookout for a marketing toolkit which will help streamline marketing efforts moving forward.