Portland is lucky to be home to one of the most impactful and growing events for black entrepreneurs, PitchBlack, a pitch competition that has featured local black founders for the past three years and has now expanded to other cities. But where did the concept get its start? Free Enterprise sat down with founder Stephen Green to get the story.
“I created PitchBlack because I found the biggest thing impeding inclusivity in our area was a limited perspective,” Green, a nearly lifelong Portland resident, told Free Enterprise. “When things are written around Portland and our startup and entrepreneurial scene founders of color are rarely mentioned,” he said.
And if they are, “it’s generally always about the triple Bs: barbeque, barber shops and bars, the things that are historically covered when we’re talking about black business.”
That’s exactly what the veteran economist and “recovering banker” wants to change.
For more, read “Meet the minority entrepreneurs forging a more inclusive startup scene in Portland.” To learn more about Stephen, check out his “Hello, Portland startup community!” profile.
