Camelback Ventures

🎉 Camelback Fellow Highlights! We’re celebrating the genius and accomplishments of our Camelback Fellows—leaders who are building innovative solutions across education, tech, media, and more. Jen Chiou (2025 Camelback Fellow ), founder of QuestCraft, recently gave a TEDx Talk sharing the origin story of her venture—a role-playing game platform designed for social-emotional learning, creativity, and multicultural exploration. Watch the TEDx Talk to learn how her games are transforming K-12 classrooms. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gNpEzFFB Tony Weaver, Jr. (2017 Camelback Fellow), founder of Weird Enough Productions and author of Weird, sat down for a powerful and personal interview about turning childhood bullying into bestselling books. Watch now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gE9N774B Lisa Maria Rhodes (2019 Camelback Fellow ), founder of FREE ALAS is celebrating ALAS turning six! Drop a congratulatory note in our comments 🎉 👇🏾 Victoria Lamar (2025 Camelback Fellow), founder of Securing Degrees, was recently named a Halcyon Future Builders Fellow. Learn more about how she’s supporting students and making higher education more accessible by visiting her page. 👉🏾 Want to stay in the know about our Fellows and the latest happening at Camelback? Subscribe to our newsletter— https://lnkd.in/g2R5cFC2 #CamelbackVentures #founders #socialimpact #founderstories

Applying for the Camelback Fellowship and have questions about your application? Let’s talk. Join us for our first Application Support Meeting on Wednesday, August 27, at 12 PM CST! This is your chance to: -Ask questions and pose challenges you've run into while drafting your application - Hear from former Fellows, Marvin Pierre (2019 Camelback Fellow) and Ariana Abramson, MSc (2022 Camelback Fellow) about their experience - Ask Nadiyah M.A. Morris, Camelback Fellowship Partner, questions about your own application 🔗 Spots are limited— grabs yours: https://lnkd.in/gTf6sZap #CamelbackVentures #OpenApplication #Funding #Opportunities #Fellowship

When Reuben Ogbonna II joined our Fellowship in 2020, he dreamed of creating a school that would prepare young adults for high-paying, purpose-driven careers in tech—without a college degree. Today, that dream is reality. The Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn equips diverse students with the technical skills, professional development, and industry network to step directly into roles at companies like Bloomberg, Spotify, The New York Times, and J.P. Morgan. Last year, our team visited Marcy Lab to see that impact in action—and witness how Reuben’s vision is transforming communities through opportunity, wealth creation, and generational change. ➡️ Reuben’s story is part of our #MyFirstFunder series, celebrating 10 years of investing in the genius of under-resourced entrepreneurs and watching their ideas change the world. Learn more about Reuben and other #MyFirstFunder fellows at https://lnkd.in/gMkMwbWa #CamelbackVentures #Camelback10 #tech #FounderStories

Great ideas don’t happen in silos—they happen when people come together, share their brilliance, and work toward the greater good. Last week, Camelback Ventures CEO Shawna Young, MBA joined Wizdom Powell,PhD, MPH, CMHC and Alphonso David at Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival for a powerful conversation on shaping the future of innovation for Black communities. A takeaway that stuck with us? We must not only ensure that people of color have access to jobs and investment opportunities in emerging technologies, but also create spaces where we can connect, collaborate, and share resources. Progress happens when we weave those connections—when we work together, not apart. If you’re at the Vineyard this month, drop a comment—we’d love to connect. #CamelbackVentures #GlobalBlackEconomicForum #MarthasVineyard #tech

"This was my 3rd time applying to the Camelback Fellowship, so I got rejected twice for valid reasons.....and I knew I was ready this third time because we ran a successful pilot, and we had the data." - Meagan Naraine We closed out the Camelback curriculum alongside Cohort 14 in New Orleans—soaking up their last week of learning, connection, and reflection. In this Meet Our Fellows story, Meagan Naraine , Co-Founder of Culturally Relevant Science Science, shares a powerful reminder for anyone thinking about applying to the Camelback Fellowship. To learn more about Meagan's venture go to https://www.crsci.org/ To apply for the 2026 Camelback Fellowship go to https://lnkd.in/gdy-HHwE #CamelbackVentures #founderstories #funding #opportunties

🚨 The Camelback Fellowship Application is open! $40k in capital, coaching, connections, curriculum, and access to a community of 200+ entrepreneurs just like you — that’s what you get as a Camelback Fellow! If you’re an early-stage entrepreneur addressing inequities or serving under-resourced communities, apply for Camelback Ventures’ 2025 Fellowship. Applications are open until September 10, 2025 at 6 pm (CST). 🔗 Find the application and more info about our selection criteria by going to https://lnkd.in/gdy-HHwE

 🚨 It’s officially time! We’re excited to share that the Camelback Ventures Fellowship application opens Monday, August 11! To kick things off, we’re hosting an Application 101 Webinar to support prospective Fellows in putting their best foot forward. Whether you’re just learning about Camelback or already planning to apply, this session will give you the tools to prepare your application.  💡 What to expect: - Insights into what we look for in a strong application - Tips on how to stand out in the selection process - A live Q&A with Camelback staff (Selam Kebrom and Michaela Ceja) - Insights from Sunny Williams, a 2016 Camelback Fellow, about their experience and how the Fellowship helped fuel their journey. Tag a founder or share this post so we can discover our next fellowship cohort! Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when the application opens ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g2R5cFC2 #CamelbackFam #CamelbackVentures #SocialImpact #funding #Entrepreneurship #FellowshipOpportunity #ApplyNow #nonprofit #tech #education

"Maybe joy is the most durable, unhackable tech we’ve got—revolutionary code shaping how we gather, resist, imagine, and build anyway." - Naimah Reflecting on these brillian words from our new Chief Development Officer, Naimah Bilal (Naimah B.), while she attended the National Urban League conference last month.

"Before Camelback, I was a teacher with a dream." When Reuben Ogbonna joined our Fellowship in 2020, he was ready to build something others would deem "impossible". With just a vision for a new kind of school, Reuben became a Camelback Fellow in 2020, during our first virtual cohort. We were proud to be his first funder, but even prouder of what he’s built since. Today, Reuben Ogbonna II is changing lives through The Marcy Lab School—offering young adults an accelerated path to high-paying tech careers, financial freedom, and generational wealth. Today, the school partners with some of the biggest employers in the industry, including Bloomberg, Spotify, The New York Times, and J.P. Morgan. As we celebrate 10 years of Camelback Ventures, we’re honoring founders like Reuben—leaders who remind us that investing in diverse founders creates the future of innovation. #CamelbackVentures #Camelback10 #firstfunder

The Global Black Economic Forum and Camelback Ventures are proud to present: “Seizing Opportunity: Our Terms, Our Time — Innovation, Ownership, and Liberation for Black People.” Taking place at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival Vineyard Lounge, this powerful session is focused on actionable solutions—how Black communities are driving innovation, building new models of entrepreneurship, and advancing economic opportunity on our own terms. Hear from our CEO, Shawna Young, MBA and President and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, Alphonso David for a much needed conversation. 🗓️ Tuesday, August 5 🕛 12 PM–1 PM 📍 Lounge outside the MV Performing Arts Center 🥗 Lunch provided | Free event #MarthasVineyard #socialimpact #diversefounders #CamelbackVentures #GBEF