Dr. Grant Warner, a former Howard University professor, has been tapped to lead the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE) based in Atlanta, Black Enterprise magazine’s website reported on Dec. 9.
The CBE is an initiative developed by Spelman College, Morehouse College and the Black Economic Alliance Foundation with a $10 million grant from the Bank of America. Warner served as the director of innovation as well as a professor at Howard, where he developed the HowUinitiative that is designed to educate people on starting tech companies.
Warner also co-founded the social analytics platform, ConnectYard, and startup consulting firm, XediaLabs.
“I am honored to join the CBE, to build on Spelman’s and Morehouse’s strong legacies of innovation and partner with the Black Economic Alliance to achieve the CBE’s mission,” Warner said in a Spelman release. “I have dedicated my career to identifying and implementing new opportunities for Black entrepreneurs, particularly at HBCUs. I strongly believe in the CBE’s vision of developing commercial pathways for Black entrepreneurs and building an ecosystem of investors and business leaders to support them, and I am excited to help bring the vision to life.”
In addition to working as the executive director of the CBE, he will also become the Bank of America-endowed professor of entrepreneurship.
The CBE will be located at the Arthur M. Blank Innovation Lab at Spelman. Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United Major League Soccer franchise, donated $10 million for the space the CBE will occupy.
In addition to Blank’s donation and Bank of America’s initial $10 million gift plus an additional $5 million, Cisco Systems has donated $4 million and Visa has pledged $5 million to the new center.