CEO’s of COLOR Fellowship provides a comprehensive and impactful program for young entrepreneurs of color to empower middle school and high students. The fellowship aims to cultivate leadership skills, foster personal growth , and promote academic excellence among young leaders of color.
This fellowship recognizes the importance of providing a supportive environment that equips young entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed as entrepreneurs and future leaders.
Candidate Criteria:
Fellowship Expectations:
Application Requirements:
The Fellowship Timeline
August 14, 2023 | application is available
September 26, 2023 | applications are due (by 11:59 p.m.)
October 7-11, 2023 | selection interviews
October 2023 | cohort announced and welcome ceremony
October 2023 | opening retreat
November 2023-June 2024 | monthly program sessions
July 2024 | closing retreat and graduation
The CEO’s of COLOR Fellowship curriculum encompasses a combination of content areas and learning experiences to impact not just the mind but also the heart of each fellow. This experience is curated to generate both individual and collective transformation through a bold reclamation of our leadership narratives, centered on the power and strength of our own racial and ethnic identities.
CEO’s of COLOR Fellows explore executive skills like finance, strategic planning, and change management while having a deep and unflinching dialogue about personal growth, trauma, and the true state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in America. Our core program pillars are research-based objectives that differentiate good leaders from great leaders. They inform, guide, and frame every learning and fellowship experience.
Upon completing this one-of-a-kind program, CEO’s of COLOR Fellows have the skills necessary to accelerate their trajectory in leadership, along with a new understanding of the authenticity and power they bring to the entrepreneurship leadership table.
CEO’s of Color hopes to provide high-profile mentors/leaders in entrepreneurship and leadership development to serve as mentors or informal advisers to the network CEO’s of COLOR fellows.
Every session is packed with content , including everything from professional & personal development to change management to finance , led by experts of color with years of professional experience and lifetime personal connection to CEO’s of Color’s mission.
Each fellow is paired with their own personal mentor for one year- starting six months into the fellowship program and six months after graduation. Mentors support transformative growth, developing a genuine connection and understanding of each fellow’s needs and wants.
Inspired by the television show , CEO’s of COLOR provides emerging entrepreneurs of color an opportunity to hone their collaboration , strategy , management , negotiation, and presentation skills in a low stakes, environment . The judges are tough , the issues are real , and the goal is growth.
As a key milestone in the fellowship experience , the capstone presentation ranks high. This is each fellow’s culminating work dives into a major project they hope to accomplish and allows them to use the tools and skills gained throughout the fellowship to form a vision and strategy from their company. Presenting their plan to expert judges and a room full of supporters.