Courvoisier Cognac recently collaborated with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta to host the Courvoisier Entrepreneurship Awards. Some of Atlanta’s top small business owners were involved in the awards ceremony, which was conducted as part of Courvoisier’s global philanthropic platform, Foundation 1828. Foundation 1828 is a $1 million financial commitment over five years to aid Black and minority small business owners and entrepreneurs in the U.S.
As an extension of its multiyear partnership with the National Urban League (NUL), Courvoisier teamed up with a regional affiliate, the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, to host a compelling pitch competition, small business networking session and educational panel. Winners of the business pitch competition were rewarded with monetary gifts from both organizations.
To ensure that rewards were allocated fairly, Courvoisier and the Urban League enlisted the guidance of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Business League and the Atlanta Black Chambers to nominate the most deserving entrepreneurs and business leaders in their communities to participate. Each small business nominee who participated in the Courvoisier Entrepreneurship Awards had an opportunity to win a monetary grant; the awards were $25,000 for the grand prize; $15,000 for the first runner up; $10,000 for the second runner up and $5,000 for the final runner up.
The following is the list of winners for the 2022 Courvoisier Entrepreneurship Awards:
Grand Prize Winner – $25,000
- Kristel Valencia – Cafexito Coffee Shop
Cafexito is a coffee shop that serves responsibly sourced coffee primarily from Mexico & Latin America, showcasing the beauty of Mexican culture through its product offerings
First Runner Up – $15,000
- Sherolyn Sellers – Urban Tea Party
Urban Tea Party offers a variety of tea products and signature blends for today’s health-conscious modern drinker
Second Runner Up – $10,000
- Christina “Chris” Wright – The WEM Sisterhood
The WEM Sisterhood offers memberships for women entrepreneurs to mingle and grow with other like-minded women. The memberships include a 24/7 virtual social club that supports members both personally and professionally
Third Runner Up – $5,000
- Marti Covington – MarChasCo Productions
MarChasCo Productions is an award-winning, boutique production company that has experience executing small, medium and large video projects.
The Courvoisier Entrepreneurship Awards in Atlanta served as a pillar of the brand’s first formal event under the Foundation 1828 initiative. Later this year, Courvoisier will host three additional pitch competitions in key markets with NUL Entrepreneurship Center Programs, furthering the multi-year partnership to equip minority business communities with critical resources – from educational programs and mentorship opportunities to financial support.
For more information about Courvoisier’s support of underserved minority businesses in the U.S., please visit: www.courvoisier.com. For additional Foundation 1828 updates, be sure to follow @CourvoisierUSA and @ulgatl across all social media platforms.