---
title: 'Behind PitchBlack: Free Enterprise spends time with founder Stephen Green'
date: '2017-11-21T08:58:21-08:00'
type: post
word_count: 230
char_count: 1684
tokens: 299
categories:
  - Events
  - Oregon
  - Portland
  - Startups
tags:
  - black
  - Event
  - Founder
  - 'pitch black'
  - pitchblack
  - Portland
  - Startups
  - 'stephen green'
---

# Behind PitchBlack: Free Enterprise spends time with founder Stephen Green

Portland is lucky to be home to one of the most impactful and growing events for black entrepreneurs, [PitchBlack](http://pitchblackpdx.com "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](https://www.freeenterprise.com/these-entrepreneurs-fight-for-inclusivity-in-portland/ "Meet the minority entrepreneurs forging a more inclusive startup scene in Portland").

> “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](https://www.freeenterprise.com/these-entrepreneurs-fight-for-inclusivity-in-portland/ "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](https://siliconflorist.com/2017/11/07/hello-portland-startup-community-im-stephen-green/).