Louisville Triumphant

According to our study with over 100 entrepreneurs, one of the top challenges for Black-owned businesses is the lack of advertisement and representation opportunities.

We provide a central location for Black businesses to market their products and services and for consumers and businesses to easily find and patronize Black entrepreneurs.

Our market users are general consumers and businesses who are looking for high-quality products and services and are motivated to support Black-owned businesses as they build generational wealth.

We have over 28K SM members in our FB group where we connect the community and Black entrepreneurs. We have 220 businesses listed in the directory in Louisville so far. Our goal is to grow to become the premier Black business directory for the country and beyond.

The STEM talent deficit is predicted to cost the country $435.7 billion in lost revenue. That’s 1.5% of the whole US economy! To avoid this massive loss, federal experts say we need to increase college STEM graduates by 34 percent per year. In 2017, more than half of U.S. high schools did not offer calculus, 4 in 10 did not offer physics, more than 1 in 4 did not offer chemistry, and more than 1 in 5 did not offer Algebra II. Further, 50% of school districts struggle to recruit and retain STEM educators, making it difficult to expand even basic math and science courses and leaving only 20% of high school grads prepared for a STEM major in college.

At BrainSTEM we’re building a kindergarten-to-career pipeline, leading young people from STEM students to STEM professionals. We inspire students to pursue STEM education by creating a vibrant, incentive-based community that connects students and gives parents, teachers, and school admins insight and feedback. Our STEM curriculum is embedded in our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), a gamified learning platform, featuring on-demand, instructor-led courses and clubs enabling schools and community organizations to expand STEM course offerings with the click of a button. All of this helps to curb the shortage in STEM educators and increases access to STEM education for parents and schools nationwide.

We’re creating a pipeline for K-12 students, leading from STEM students to STEM professionals. In elementary school, students gain digital literacy while exploring basic STEM concepts. In middle school, students learn STEM through career exploration. In high school, students choose a STEM concentration and complete a STEM portfolio. We compile student projects in their BrainSTEM Portfolio, creating the ultimate resume of demonstrated skills for high school grads. The BrainSTEM Portfolio is a resume booster for college applications and proof of skills for STEM careers. We partner with schools and non-profits to secure grants to increase opportunity and access to STEM education.

In 2020, BrainSTEM won the Vogt Award, Render Capital Pitch Competition, Venture Sharks, KY-270, and Rise of the Rest. We were featured in Louisville Business First Magazine, Indiana Business Insider Magazine, Louisville Future, Wave 3 News, WHAS-11 News, The Lane Report, and Louisville Future.

The Next Door Market provides food and household supplies to customers, via delivery and shipping.

We alleviate the need for customers to physically shop for groceries, and we supply fresh organic food to areas that have limited access to high quality products.

A majority of our customers are East Louisville residents with an average household income of 70k per year, 2-5 member households, and more than 95% own a vehicle.

We've received over 200 regular customers orders, grown our social media presence (1,351 on Facebook and 998 on Instagram), and set a 2021 revenue goal of $40,000.