INVICTUS FORWARD OUTREACH
This small business assistance program in Durham, NC began providing business consulting and mentorship to ethnic minorities in 2010 and established it’s first coworking facility in 2015. With our minority business assistance centers and mentor-based Minority entrepreneurship curriculum serving as the cornerstone program of iNvictus Forward Outreach, we are internationally recognized as the HUB of Minority Entrepreneurship. Learn more about the iNvictus mentorship program in Durham
Be it organically or intentionally, since 2010 we have continued to expand our network through strategic partnerships we cultivate to aid in our efforts to continue our impact and affect growth and sustainability amongst minority-owned firms and throughout the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Through our belief and research we understand that entrepreneurs play a vital role in the economic development and social impact of our communities
and subsequently our nation. They are key contributors to innovation, job growth, and investing in community-based initiatives.
iNVICTUS – Minority Business Assistance Center in Durham
iNvictus has positioned ourselves on the national stage to lead the efforts in correcting the systemic problems inherent in the entrepreneurial funding. With our minority business assistance center in Durham and mentor-based minority entrepreneurship curriculum being the core of iNvictus Forward Outreach. We are the HUB of minority entrepreneurship. We locate and nurture the talents of a growing pool of freelancers,visionaries, and innovators. Our leadership are themselves entrepreneurs and educators who have built strong, sustainable businesses.
Five years and almost 300 businesses later, we continue to expand our network through strategic partnerships we cultivate to aid in our efforts
to continue our impact and affect growth and sustainability amongst minority-owned firms and throughout the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Our goal is huge, but simple; to drastically change the landscape of minority-owned businesses on a national level. Through our efforts and the intentional development of pipelines that foster entrepreneurship in the previously underserved communities throughout the southeast via programs that are targeted to youth, adolescents and young entrepreneurs.
BAMBINO’S PLAYSCHOOL & SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVERS
iNvictus Forward Outreach has established a unique partnership with Scholastic Achievers, a Durham, North Carolina based educational enrichment company, in developing a KIDPRENEUR CURRICULUM to expose children (ages 9-12) to the foundational concepts of entrepreneurship. The program also offers a 6-week entrepreneurial camp that allows children to imagine, create and begin establishing small businesses.
Through our partnership with Bambino’s Playschool, we are able to introduce the foundational concepts of entrepreneurship.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurs 4 Education (E4E), an iNvictus Forward Outreach Program, was established to work with public, private and charter schools as well as Parks and Recreation departments and community based programs to offer children in grades 4-8 the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship. This is done through the programs 5 components, the foundational tenant being mentor-based. Under the advisement of iNvictus Forward Outreach and in conjunction with iNvictus Office Center,this innovative program exposes middle grades students to entrepreneurship, including linking them with real life entrepreneurs who serve as mentors as needed. Through the reciprocal mentorship process, students are able to shadow business owners, discuss business practices and operations and learn more hands-on features of moving from business ideas to business actualizations.
HIGH SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Over the summer of 2015, iNvictus sought to close the youth entrepreneurial gap by establishing a partnership with public, private and charter high schools. iNvictus Forward Outreach developed a curriculum to spur entrepreneurial growth for students in grades 9-12. The interdisciplinary format of the program allows high school students to create business opportunities that are aligned with the educational standards of North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction. Our curriculum can be tailored to any State’s guidelines.
MINORITY ENTREPRENEUR PIPELINE
A major hurdle of most minority entrepreneurship programs is the laser-like focus on the business of entrepreneurship, while completely ignoring the myriad of life’s vicissitudes that many times represent the biggest stumbling block to success in business. iNvictus Forward Outreach’s focus on helping minorities create and sustain scalable ventures takes a holistic approach to doing so. Through its various programming,it seeks to continue the work that has grown its tentacles from its humble origins to currently working through our partners in Kigali,Rwanda and many stops in between.
CORNERSTONE PROGRAM
iNvictus EMERGE (Entrepreneurship, Mentoring, Economic Development, Research, Growth in Business(es) and ducation) program is the cornerstone, which will continue to locate/identify, screen, triage and mentor entrepreneurs and venture leaders within high densely populated minority communities across North Carolina. Through EMERGE, iFO has a well-documented international record of success helping minority entrepreneurs launch and scale businesses.
- iNvictus Office Center will continue to establish locations in each of the six regions throughout North Carolina to serve as a Region HUB. This will provide a more central location from which to operate. This will allow each Region its own homegrown identity and ability to focus on issues and entrepreneurial solutions that are very much grounded in the local mores, at the same time, having global tentacles where the market allows.
- Entrepreneurs 4 Education (E4E) provides the necessary infrastructure of local entrepreneurs and venture leaders to mentor budding
entrepreneurs and venture leaders through public, private and charter schools and community centers across The Pipeline’s six regions in North Carolina.
iNvictus Forward Outreach’s WINNING program focuses on the citizens of the communities themselves. WINNING’s focus is on the lives and social mobility of the citizens of the communities. This is done by providing support, mentoring, linking citizens with external programs, job training and intern placement.
The (Durham) H.A.W.K.S. (Helping All Willing Kids Succeed) offers mentoring for youth and adolescents through athletic and educational vehicles such as basketball, cheerleading, tutoring, college tours and more.
iNviTECH is iNvictus Forward Outreach’s STEM & Entrepreneurship program that seeks to increase minority participation in STEM fields. Using its proprietary curriculum and network of STEM field educators and professionals,iNviTECH’s STEMgineers learn about marine science, agriscience, coding and a host of other STEM fields. This is done in blended learning environments iFO calls their iLAB’s. iNviTECH offers its curriculum through iLAB’s and iNvictus Office Center locations as well as through partnerships with early childhood education facilities, community recreation centers, schools and other centrally positioned locations.