adidas Community Lab celebrates social entrepreneurs in Portland

Adidas Community Lab is an accelerator program designed to empower social entrepreneurs and address local issues. The Portland, Oregon, branch of Adidas’ Social Impact Accelerator, now known as Adidas Community Lab (formerly Bloom), is a collaboration between Black and Latinx social entrepreneurs working in sports, health, and wellness in their communities. We remain committed to helping promote equitable access to. Accelerator programs actively foster impactful futures by cultivating ideas for progress and community change.

Adidas Community Lab has partnered with Impact Hub and Industry Education to develop a program to develop the next generation of visionaries. Through mentorship, weekly workshops, special meetups, practice presentations, networking opportunities, and more, adidas Community Lab provides a variety of effective support opportunities to bring about positive change in our communities. .

Adidas also launched a new documentary series called “Create with Purpose” in early March as part of its Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) initiative. The series highlights the achievements of nine pioneering Black women who have made significant contributions to their local communities.

Some adidas Community Lab alumni are doing inspiring work aimed at promoting equity and inclusion. They include Anibal Rocheta of Loco Por La Aventura, who encourages the Latinx community to equitably embrace outdoor activities, and Anibal Rocheta of the Big Yard Foundation, which fosters academic excellence and overall well-being in marginalized youth. Brennan Scarlett and Julian Alexander of Street Soccer USA PDX, which utilizes soccer as a sport. A tool for social impact and community empowerment.

Graduates include Lestarya Molloy of Fridie Outdoors, who makes outdoor knowledge accessible to everyone; Mashari Tyson of Black Excellence Group, who equips Black students with basic life skills and a sense of belonging; People of Color Pamela Slaughter of People of Color Outdoor, who provides safe and inclusive outdoor experiences for people, and Tory Campbell of Play It Safe Flagging System, who creates a fair playing field to reduce the threat of vehicle-related accidents. There are countless others, including Vanessa Gomez of Flow in the City, who is cultivating an urban yoga mecca.

Aisha Martin, Senior Director, Adidas Purpose [division], expressed excitement about building an ecosystem focused on strengthening connections with social entrepreneurs in Portland and removing barriers to access to sports. She highlighted the program’s growth trajectory in the coming years.

In its first year, 2022, eight entrepreneurs who are Black and Latinx women were supported on their journeys to make an impact in the health and wellness space. The 2023 adidas Community Lab Cohort aims to continue supporting entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life and exceed their dreams.

Senior Director Martin shares her sentiments at Adidas in supporting each founder’s entrepreneurial endeavors. Communities of color are underrepresented in sports and outdoor activities, and few access points are being addressed.

“The beauty of our work is the intersection of sport and culture, and of course fashion plays a huge role in how we connect with consumers,” Martin asserts. “This special opportunity focuses on social enterprises and leaders who are creating positive change within their communities. In doing so, we create more opportunities and encourage Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. We focus on sport, access to sport, and innovation within it.”

Martin further elaborated on the effectiveness of the program, saying, “We have a lot of programs in place outside of this accelerator, and we’re particularly focused on letting young kids know about the opportunities to work in this industry, because a lot of people dream of becoming a professional athlete, but the statistics are very grim. [in reality].It is less than [I think] Only 1% of young athletes actually go pro or have the potential to go pro. We’re trying to create a window into the world where they can reimagine the future of sports. They may not be on the playing field, but they’re designing the shoes and clothing that athletes wear in that respect, or they’re building a career in the sports industry. That’s the connection to the culture.”

“What’s interesting and appealing about this accelerator program is that we’re doing a lot of work in this space, especially when it comes to supporting the next generation of startups, early starters and business leaders. We’re working with Black Ambitions.What’s unique about this program is that it’s focused specifically on community work, even considering venture capital funding and all of those factors. We do not object to it. [support] Because some of these initiatives are actually for-profit, and we believe there is room for nonprofit and for-profit in this endeavor. ”

Entrepreneurs who participate in the adidas Community Lab will receive $75,000 in seed funding, mentorship, workshops and networking opportunities from the adidas Community Lab over a nine-month period. The program’s second cohort includes visionary leaders committed to making a difference in their communities. The adidas Community Lab furthers the shoe company’s vision and commitment to building the small business sector in communities across America.

Eight pioneering social entrepreneurs pitched their organization for additional seed round funding, each presenting a stage to demonstrate their impact on the community. Held inside Adidas headquarters in Portland, Oregon, the event brings together industry leaders, special guests, and a panel of judges, providing a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their ventures, and ultimately We can close the opportunity gap for Latinx social entrepreneurs.

“There’s a clear gap. If you look at this year’s group, there are definitely hipster leaders emerging in this space,” Martin notes of the disparity. Leadership personal branding and how you present yourself and your company to potential investors and donors is our focus in this program. ”

“It’s also about celebrating who we are as a community. From my perspective and theirs, there is no culture or community that is so deeply connected that it is inherent in everything we do. ”

“They experienced a perfect pitch. They experienced a personal brand moment. They all had access to a coach. It also created this ecosystem of change (what I like to call it). But it’s also about building and maintaining them.”It’s about them, not just this process, but the networks and connections you make as things accelerate.” she concluded.

During the intimate graduation ceremony, each of the eight graduates will present their organization’s mission and impact in hopes of raising additional funds. The ceremony was attended by more than 60 of his guests, including Adidas management, key business partners, and community leaders.

Impact Hub leads a community-building effort for impact-minded entrepreneurs, supporting them in building better businesses, designing impactful solutions, and envisioning the future. We offer mentorship, events, programming, workshops, and more to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into action and increase their impact in their communities.

There were three top prize winners, with third place going to Brennan Scarlett from Big Yard Foundation and second place going to Lestarya Molloy from Fridie Outdoors. First place honors went to Mashari Tyson of Black Excellence Group, and all participants were encouraged to expand their ideas beyond the Adidas Community Lab.

The adidas Community Lab graduation event celebrates the achievements of social entrepreneurs dedicated to driving positive change. Through mentorship, funding and support, adidas has been working over the past few years to not only innovate but also to develop the next generation of visionary leaders. This initiative to elevate the light of community business supports the very essence of sport in underserved communities.