‘Culture Capital’ – An Inside Look Into How Diverse Leaders Are Changing The Game And Impacting Entrepreneurship

From music and visual art to fashion and everything in between, culture is shaped by those creatives and entrepreneurs who have the vision, see it through, and invite others to share in the experiences and solutions they create.

To celebrate the significance of this dynamic, “Culture Capital,” a three-part docuseries, was created to highlight nine change-making entrepreneurs of color, their inspiring stories, and how they are making waves in their communities. The show features:

Felecia Hatcher , series host and CEO of Black Ambition Prize , a nonprofit led by Grammy Award-winning artist Pharrell Williams, is working to close the opportunity and wealth gap through entrepreneurship.

• Melinda Archuleta , Owner of Bar Carlo , a full-service Mexican American restaurant.
• Cody Coleman , Co-founder and CEO of Coactive AI , a generative AI company that supercharges businesses by enriching, searching, and analyzing images and videos at scale.
• Bertony Faustin , Owner of Abbey Creek Vineyard , a vineyard that perfectly blends wine and hip-hop.
• Grace Hsia , Founder of Warmilu , a material science warming company.
• Chekesha Kidd , Founder of Kinumi , is a dedicated concierge service and community for active older adults and those who love and care for them.
• Latoya Peterson , Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer of Glow Up Games , a gaming company that builds playful technology centering around Black and brown joy.
• Will Toms , Co-Founder & CCO of REC , a members-only club of the world’s most ambitious creators.
• Ashley Williams , Founder of RIZZARR , the martech platform for the next generation of creators.
• David Wong , Co-founder of FRIEDA , a cafe and curated intergenerational community space based in Philadelphia.

These nine examples show the range of possibility in the entrepreneurial space and why diverse voices should be amplified as they tap in with the communities they are most passionate about. One example of this is the work Will Toms is doing with REC in Philadelphia.

“We say creatives and artists come into REC as creatives but leave as creative entrepreneurs. So even in our ethos, we don’t think of creative talent as just talent, and it’s just this feel-good thing to express yourself. We also understand the economic power within creativity and culture,” Toms said.

Toms and his work with REC is only one example of cultural impact and how entrepreneurs, especially those of color, cannot be boxed in. And that is the beauty of this docuseries; it eliminates the traditional confines of what is possible and what is accessible for business owners.

“There’s so much opportunity, especially from creative space [with AI], from applications that anyone can actually go and build something that will have a massive impact. So there’s just a tremendous green field and tremendous opportunity for everyone,” explained Cody Coleman of Coactive AI about the access and opportunities provided by technology.

He continued: “Because effectively every single part of the stack is up for grabs as we’re introducing this kind of new fundamental technology ship, just like how you saw when the internet was created or during the mobile revolution, all of a sudden you could create applications, you could create things, and there were no moats anymore. It was just a kind of green space for people to attack and build.”

As with any entrepreneurial pursuit, the conversation of funding is just as meaningful as the impact of culture. Some would argue that the expanded ecosystem of culture is often seen in the economic mobility associated with it. When something is popular, the money usually follows. However, this economic theory doesn’t remove the challenges many entrepreneurs of color still face when needing support to move their businesses forward and close the wealth gap. This is where Felicia Hatcher and Black Ambition Prize enter the chat.

“I think the only thing that is going to close the wealth gap is deploying capital as fast as possible without as much friction that I’ve seen time and time again created, especially as it relates to investing in Black and Hispanic and diverse entrepreneurs,” Hatcher explained.

“Culture Capital” is only a glimpse into entrepreneurship, as told by the nine cast members highlighted. However, it amplifies and offers representation of diverse voices, showcasing why they matter and why the world should invest in and support them and voices like them.

“First, it’s about the representation of it,” Toms stated. I deeply believe you can’t be what you can’t see. So allowing my story and the REC story to be on a platform and done with such a high level of care and high level of quality, I think, is deeply important.”

That intentionality in storytelling is what’s so game-changing about “Culture Capital.” It not only creates a narrative that supports the duty of care for those involved but also platforms the idea of legacy—a concept Cody Coleman described as ladder building, and that Felicia Hatcher knows firsthand as the granddaughter of a Jamaican farmer.

“I’m the granddaughter of a Jamaican sugarcane and yam farmer. I say that repeatedly because I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him, but we also didn’t know he was an entrepreneur, right? So it’s a return on our ancestors, the sacrifice of everyone that’s come before us, that only because of what they sacrifice, we get to do what we do,” Hatcher said. “Culture Capital” is now available on Black Experience on Xfinity channel, Peacock, and XumoPlay.