The WBENC Entrepreneur Incubator is a premier program for aspiring entrepreneurs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, offering the resources, community, and support needed to turn ideas into thriving ventures. This transformative program goes beyond traditional support, fostering creativity, resilience, and ambition while inspiring future innovators.
The curriculum guides participants through every stage of their entrepreneurial journey, from refining ideas and mastering financial strategies to building prototypes and launching ventures. The program culminated in an exciting Pitch Competition, awarding seed capital and all-expenses-paid trips to the 2025 WBENC National Conference in New Orleans, connecting winners with a network of over 4,000 attendees.
The Entrepreneur Incubator Pitch Competition at Tuskegee University, brought to you by Procter and Gamble, was a dynamic showcase of the university’s brightest entrepreneurial talent. We are excited to highlight three outstanding winners in this article and explore their innovative business ventures.
Pitch Competition Award Winner: Jaina Dotson│ Jaina’sArtistry
Jaina’sArtistry produces artwork that caters to individuals seeking meaningful pieces that tell compelling stories, who value diverse artistic voices, and who are willing to invest in art that resonates with their philanthropic spirits and personal aesthetics. Jaina’sArtistry offers limited edition prints from various unique collections, as well as original pieces. Currently, the company features three art collections: The Still Life Collection, The African Pride Collection, and The Self Portrait Collection. The process of crafting each collection begins with a thoughtful inquiry or sustained investigation—like with the African Pride Collection, where the question was, “How can the symbolism behind African scarification and tattooing be best represented?” From there, Jaina conducts extensive research through reading, watching videos, and other methodologies to create informed and meaningful compositions.
What sets Jaina’sArtistry apart is that the artist creates pieces for those who want more than just something beautiful to hang on their wall. When someone chooses a piece from Jaina’sArtistry, they’re not just buying art—they’re connecting with a community of Black women artists. They’re supporting art with purpose, driven by a mission to bring visibility to those who have been overlooked for far too long. There is a clear need in the art world, one that Jaina feels deeply. Both her audience data and life experiences show that the art world lacks representation, especially for Black female artists like herself. There is a gap in diversity and inclusion when it comes to the stories seen through art. As a Black female artist, she believes art can be a powerful tool for shifting the narrative. In the heat and hatred of today’s political climate, Black Americans, especially Black women, are often met with toxicity and cultural barriers. Her art challenges those barriers, declaring that black women belong, their voices matter, and their stories deserve to be seen and celebrated.
Q: What inspired you to start your business?
I was inspired to start Jaina’sArtistry because I’ve always been deeply passionate about creating artwork, and I wanted to produce pieces for others to enjoy. I have a knack for entrepreneurship and find joy in connecting with others, so I thought creating a business where I could amplify my voice and stories through art in a way that could foster connections and conversations would be fulfilling. I also recognized that in the art world, there were not many young black women such as myself being represented in the high-profile art industry, and I wanted to produce prints that were of high quality and reflected my art style. I also understand the power art and art movements can have in bringing forth change, and I wanted to diversify the art landscape so that people could see more unique perspectives through art. As an aspiring architect, I was also inspired by mentors in architecture who were able to blend their artwork with their architecture careers, and I was encouraged to grow my multi-faceted business model.
Q: What challenges are you facing building your business, and how are you overcoming them?
The challenges I am facing as I build my business are knowing which areas of my business to invest in, trusting in my entrepreneurial choices, and balancing being a full-time student. Understanding the financial side of a business takes time, mentorship, and a willingness to learn through experience. One struggle I had with initiating my business was knowing where to even start, but what I learned in that process and what I am learning to apply in understanding the economics in business is to take risks, trust my decisions, and learn from my choices. Balancing school and entrepreneurship hasn’t been easy, but I’ve come to see my business as both a career asset and an educational venture in itself. Thankfully, my school offers resources for student entrepreneurs and makes an effort to help cultivate growing businesses. I also have worked hard on my time management, relying heavily on my planner, my family, my friends, and faith in God.
Q: How has being part of the Entrepreneur Incubator influenced your approach to entrepreneurship and innovation?
Being part of the Entrepreneur Incubator influenced my approach to entrepreneurship and innovation by helping me think creatively and collaboratively. I learned how to innovate my business to accommodate my target audience while maintaining my voice and ideas.
I also learned how to approach my business model from a reverse perspective, starting by considering what customers might want from an art business and then figuring out how I could fulfill those needs and wants in a way that aligns with my brand. The incubator also opened doors to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, exposing me to a wide variety of business models, leadership styles, and creative strategies. These experiences showed me the value of collaboration—even with people working in completely different industries or at different stages of business growth. Moving forward, I want to evolve my business by creating immersive artistic experiences for my clients and collaborating with other entrepreneurs to continue learning and growing
Q: What key elements do you think made your pitch stand out?
The key elements that helped my pitch stand out were confidence, clarity, passion, storytelling, and directly addressing each of the judging criteria. I wanted to ensure that I had mastered my pitch by the day of the event, so I began developing my initial script months before pitch day. Starting early gave me the flexibility to seek feedback from WBENC mentors, as well as personal mentors like my parents, aunt, uncle, and friends. I practiced my pitch for hours at a time in the weeks leading up to the event, constantly revising it and focusing on different areas of delivery, such as vocal inflections and body language. Eventually, I took advice from my brother to switch from a fully scripted speech to using bullet points for my key ideas. By then, I already knew what I wanted to say for each point, and this approach helped me speak more naturally and authentically. Using bullet points instead of a rigid script allowed me to think through my words in the moment and adapt my delivery. In the end I was able to communicate my story and engage the audience with passion and presence.
Business Innovation Winner: Jasmine Johnson│ 577 Cafe
577 Cafe is an Afro-Caribbean inspired, mobile coffee shop. Named after the beloved house where our grandmother first built her life in Brooklyn, 577 Cafe blends rich Caribbean coffee traditions with the vibrant energy of New York City. We aim to serve premium, ethically sourced Haitian coffee and specialty drinks, offering a unique, cultural experience as well as a space to celebrate identity and community.
Q: What inspired you to start your business?
577 Cafe was inspired by both my grandmother and my family’s love for coffee. After my grandmother passed, I realized how important it is to have spaces that reflect our culture and traditions. I wanted to create something that honors her legacy while the lack of authentic Caribbean representation in the coffee industry.
Q: What key lessons did you learn from the mentors and peers you met during the Entrepreneur Incubator?
My biggest takeaway from the mentors and peers I met was learning how to always speak about my business in confidence and never think of it as unattainable. I also learned about the realities of entrepreneurship and how to prepare myself for any and all setbacks.
Q: Where do you see yourself in one year? How about 5 years?
In one year, I see 577 Cafe working through its beginning stages. I see my family and I continuing to work out kinks and trying out new ideas while we build our customer base. In five years, I see 577 Cafe promoting to a storefront from the mobile format and having a solid presence in NYC.
Q: How has being part of the Entrepreneur Incubator influenced your approach to entrepreneurship and innovation?
Being part of the Entrepreneur Incubator has definitely strengthened my confidence and influenced me to approach entrepreneurship and innovation with no hesitation.
I’ve learned that its okay to fail and get things wrong, as long as you learn from it and use it to be ten times better in the next steps.
Audience Choice: Karyon Reed│Xcell
Xcell is a unique water brand that will hydrate you, but also motivate you. With our daily rotation of quotes and unique design you’re guarantee to be inspired and hydrated.
Q: What inspired you to start your business?
I started this business because as a former athlete I had to drink water to stay hydrated, but also when I stopped playing sports I was in a depression state. So, as a former athlete that consumes a lot of water and a person that wants to encourage people that is either going something or just in need of some type of support, this is why I came up with the idea to have inspiration quotes on a bottle of water. It encourages people to drink more water because that’s one way to keep negative thoughts out of your mind but it would also be someone’s motivator, so if you far away from your family and something to keep you going, you have Xcell. Xcell is the light in every darkness because no matter what we going through we always have to overcome and Xcell.
Q: What advice would you give to other founders just starting their business?
The advice I would give founders just starting their business is to stay confident in your business and your meaning or why is definitely the most important part because that’s what make your business matter. When you first time business owner it’s going be a lot of struggles and moments where you feel like it’s not worth it, a lot of changes to your idea.
The one thing that should stay consistent is your why, why I started this? What I’m trying to achieve from this? How is it going to help people? Ask yourself questions like that and when you on your journey and happen to get lost you can remember why you started and how you wanted to impact others and found yourself right back towards the path of success.
Q: What was the biggest risk you took in your pitch, and how did it pay off?
I say my biggest risk I took in my pitch was to actually pitch it. I was very nervous that it wouldn’t be perfect enough or I wouldn’t get my point across that I was in my own head. It paid off because I had a good team from WBENC around me keeping me encouraged and even though I was in my own head I knew I had to go up there and at least try.
Q: What’s next for you and your business?
The next couple steps for my business and I would to gather more information on some available water sources, and found a manufacturer that can make my bottles designs, customize my labels, and coming up with my own quotes to use for my bottles. Also while I’m researching that I would be working on my clothing brand which is called Visionare, which inspired and motivate people to continue to chase their dreams and make it their reality. Dream or vision only stops when the person with the vision stops believing in it.
