Two young Washingtonians are ready to take their businesses to the next level after concluding the D.C. Youth Entrepreneurship Program (DCYEP) intensive summer program, participating in the Aug. 4 competition at The Gathering Spot D.C., and winning the grand prize of $2,500 to fund their startups.
While winners Zaynah Crawley and Tioluwani Fabunmi have drastically different proposals— an app and jewelry business — the pair found common ground on how they’re going to celebrate the end of the program.
“Probably sleep a lot; it’s been a long seven weeks,” said Crawley. “I’ll definitely be resting a lot.”
An elated Fabunmi is also ready for some rest and relaxation.
“I think I’m going to tell everyone I know first of all,” said Fabunmi, “and then sleep because it has been a lot of hard work to be able to make sure my brand is represented in the way I want it to be.”
For Crawley, the grand prize will help her launch Teen Connect, an idea born out of a problem she has witnessed firsthand.
Throughout her time in high school, Crawley noticed her classmates’ desire to stand out both academically and in their extracurriculars when applying to colleges.
The reality for many high schoolers, however, is that internships and other career-building opportunities are hard to come by for people her age, and largely reserved for college students.
“I found that this is a much bigger issue,” Crawley told The Informer. “Everyone is saying it’s hard to find opportunities, and it’s even harder to know what opportunities you should apply for.”
To address this reality, Crawley created an app that connects teens with internships, mentorship, and employers through an easy-to-use system that helps match opportunities with students’ interests. There are also premium features, including an AI-powered resume builder and a meter on how likely a student is to get an opportunity.
For Fabunmi, the funding will allow her to ethically source for her business, Fayola Jewelry, which features hand-crafted pieces.
Throughout her time in the jewelry industry and growing up in Nigeria, Fabunmi saw a growing interest in African-inspired fashion, but noticed the limited options available from mainstream brands, inspiring her to bridge that gap.
Fabunmi explained the heart of Fayola Jewelry comes from a desire to bring the West African culture, specifically that of her home country Nigeria, to a broader audience without cutting corners in authenticity and quality.
“We want to tell a story that embodies the ethos of West African culture on our platform,” Fabunmi said.
In addition to the training over the past seven weeks, both winners explained how the funding provides a huge boost for their businesses.
“I’m very excited now to be able to use the funds to help share my culture with other people,” said Fabunmi.
And for Zaynah, the funds add a much-needed starting boost heading into her freshman year at Stanford.
“I can get started with programming, developing and all the AI stuff… it kind of takes weight off my shoulders now that I have funding going into college,” Crawley told The Informer.
‘Seven Weeks of Hard Work,’ Making Dreams Realities
Throughout the summer, 10 Washingtonians ranging in age from 18 to 24 used tools, mentorship and real-world experience to create and eventually pitch their business ideas to a panel of local business owners.
The seven-week program was led by the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) and aimed to help equip young, aspiring entrepreneurs with early career readiness skills and knowledge to thrive.
“Our commitment at the Department of Small and Local Business Development is to develop our business owners, to be a partner to them, not to be the ones to tell them what to do and how to do it, but to understand what they want to do and help them get there,” said Rosemary Suggs-Evans, DSLBD director. “Whether that is starting, whether that is expanding, and sometimes whether it’s closing, but we are going to be a part of that journey, and to see these young people, I am in awe.”
The D.C. Youth Entrepreneurship Program is also hosted in partnership with the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES) through the Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP), which provides D.C. youth ages 14 to 24 with experience-building work through selective placements in the private and government sectors. Celebrating 47 years, MBSYEP, renamed in honor of the late former mayor in 2015, provides youth the opportunity to interact with working professionals and gain exposure to various careers.
Ten DCYEP participants wrapped the nearly two-month intensive on Aug. 4 at The Gathering Spot in Northwest D.C., with a pitch competition that featured a variety of businesses— from faith-inspired clothing to financial record-keeping services.
Judges for the pitch competition included: Jess Randolph, associate creative director of the Anacostia Arts Center and chair of the WACIF Innovation Taskforce; JC Smith, co-owner of the Bailiwick Clothing Company, a D.C.-based clothing brand founded in 2015 that celebrates the culture of the DMV; and Keyonna Jones, co-founder and executive director of Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center, which works to explore and celebrate District culture and the African diaspora.
Despite not every contestant winning the grand prize, every participant received at least $500 in funds toward their business ideas.
Trezell Ragas, who managed the program, said she is proud of all the students’ perseverance throughout the intensive.
“It’s seven weeks of hard work, helping the students come up with their business plans, helping them really understand what it takes to be an entrepreneur and business owner in Washington, D.C.,” said the program manager and owner of Ragas Consulting. “The most thrilling part about working with the youth is helping them realize that anything that they want to become is possible.”
