“The land was barren. It didn’t produce anything. It was just dirt and rocks.” Cuban farmer, entrepreneur, and scholar, Fernando told us. “My mentor and
I dug the (40 foot) well by hand. It took us 7 months. (Pointing at the top of the barn) The electricity is provided by the solar panel…soon we will
install a wind turbine because that breeze you feel is constant for us year round.” His voice projected the physical juxtaposition of confidence, expertise,
and HOPE. We have been fortunate to witness this paradox many times the world over. Through iNvictus Forward Outreach’s (http://www.invictusoffice.com/invictus-forward-outreach)
EMERGE (Entrepreneurship, Mentoring, Economic Development, Research, Growth in Business(es), and Education) program, we focus our efforts on minority
entrepreneurs. Many times these venture leaders have their beginnings in low resource communities. These communities are often viewed by many as economically
barren, but not just the land; unfortunately, the indictment is castigated on the people as well. Yet time and time again, through relationships with
the entrepreneurs and communities, we find this similar mixture of sentiment: part confidence, part expertise, and a whole lotta HOPE.

We witnessed it while serving on the Durham Innovation Council as a part of the Forward Cities Initiative (www.ForwardCities.org)
in Durham, Cleveland, Detroit and New Orleans. We see it through our service on the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Community Leadership Council (https://www.zsr.org/content/leadership-council)
in small and medium size cities across the state of North Carolina. It’s prevalent in often overlooked neighborhoods in Durham, NC like East Durham,
the West End, MacDougald Terrace, the Cornwallis Community and countries across the globe, many labeled “emerging markets,” where we serve or are laying
the foundation to serve, like Rwanda. It’s an interesting dynamic of paradigm change to see, hear, feel and experience.

We were recently invited to participate in a delegation to serve in Cuba. The delegation brought together by Mickey Bergman, Director of The Aspen Institute
Global Alliances Program (https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/global-alliances-program) and the Founder of Fringe Diplomacy (http://www.fringediplomcy.com)
combined twenty persons from varying (and we would soon learn, impressive) backgrounds. We met in Miami and together boarded a flight to Cuba with
a very broad charge: to serve in whatever capacity our knowledge and expertise would allow. I soon realized there wasn’t any gift more suitable to
have on this trip than a strong desire to listen, learn and experience.

Cuba offered us so much. Let’s begin with the obvious of a Caribbean island. The sites were breathtaking. The culture permeated
our every inhale. And, the pride was pervasive. The people we met continuously discussed how fast things were changing and how excited they were, filled
with the anticipation of these continual changes. They were relatively aware and insistent that these changes should still come riddled with patience.
Their love for Cuba was relayed in their every word. Owners of cooperatives (business owners) explained to us how exciting it was to be a business
owner in a country that didn’t always present that option as a profession. Like all entrepreneurs, they shared their successes and pain points with
equal vigor. Those successes and pain points were not foreign to us, nor were they innate to Cuba. Textile (clothing) manufacturers, construction companies,
farmers, restaurateurs, you name it, not only did the people of Cuba have it, they were good at it! We witnessed the results firsthand of the inclusive
(competitiveness) innovation that Johnathan Holifield of Scale Up Partners (http://www.scaleuppartners.com/approach/) has detailed with me over the
past couple years.

College professors, who work with student entrepreneurs at the University of Havana, shared their expertise with us. Personally,
I found this meeting very impressive and forward leaning. They weren’t thinking in small terms at all. They saw Cuba and its future economy in a very
macro way. Admittedly, the path ahead of them was a difficult one. However, very similar to what we hear from entrepreneurs in low resource communities
all over the world, the future, from their perspective, is remarkably brighter than was the past. Did the sixty plus year embargo (or blockade as the
Cubans refer to it) the United States initiated with Cuba adversely affect the Cubans and the Cuban economy? Sure, in a myriad of ways. Many of which
aren’t much different from the unofficial, but just as intentional, embargo most majority dominant culture financial institutions within the United
States have enacted on minority communities for centuries. In fact, much of the poverty, limited networks and access to technical support and funding
for entrepreneurs was eerily reminiscent of what the majority of communities of color experience globally. Yet, HOPE was there at every stop of our
eight-day journey.

Fernando went on to inform our group that they currently employ dozens of farmers and are farming 5 different farms now.
They also have a bee farm that produces honey ten months of the year. His business sells its produce to many of the best restaurants in the country.
In fact, to inject a personal testimony, before our arrival at Fernando’s farm we unknowingly had lunch at a restaurant that carries his produce and
I had already told those at my table during lunch that it was by far the best salad I had eaten in my entire life. At a loss for words to adequately
describe the efforts we witnessed and experienced in Cuba, the word hopeful comes to mind. In so many cases, I was inspired by the forward leaning
perspectives of the Cubans. Given the hurdles they’ve faced, quitting was a very viable option. Some might say it was expected. They never met Fernando…

2016 was all about loss, if we listen to the narrative being told. Everybody lost someone or something. I too am transitioning through a few losses that
can be attributed to 2016. To be honest, on May 14, 2003, my grandfather transitioned and I hope I never stop feeling the effects of that loss! In
fact, that date is tattooed on my left forearm under a quote by Frantz Fanon that reads, “Make of me always a man who questions…”  

I began writing this, what is supposed to be our last blog of 2016, a couple weeks ago as I returned from our trips to Toronto, Canada, Brussels, Belgium
and Kigali, Rwanda. This blog was to detail the exhilarating ride of 2016 we’ve been on through this vehicle of hope and help we call iNvictus Forward
Outreach. Since 2010, we have dedicated energies and efforts to providing aid, technical support and mentorship to minorities and densely populated
communities of color. The cornerstone of our efforts, since our inception, have revolved around entrepreneurship and education as a means to lifting
these often ignored markets of people. Our once proprietary minority entrepreneurship curriculum has evolved into the iNvictus EMERGE (Entrepreneurship,
Mentoring, Economic Development, Research, Growth in business(es) and Education) program. In our infancy, we touted the success we were experiencing
and bragged about our growth; over 300 companies in such a small time frame and a success rate as high as the nation’s attrition rate for entrepreneurial
ventures. However, as with any successful endeavor, growth was a two-edged sword for us. 

Our iNvictus EMERGE program added various components that stretched its capacity, including but not limited to establishing a physical location inside
the newly founded (by our for-profit brand mate, iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC.) coworking space, iNvictus Office Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Our growth required we add more business mentors, staff, interns, and volunteers. iNvictus EMERGE added other programs as well. We launched our first
ever Masters of Fate Fellowship, an 18-month concentrated effort focusing on the growth of 8 venture leaders selected from a national pool of applicants.
These ventures are rooted in 4 categories: STEM, Food, Health/Healthcare & Education.

We cannot attribute our growth and success only to our internal efforts. We have been extremely fortunate to serve with great entrepreneurs, mentors
and have received aid, technical support and funding through relationships from a myriad of institutions and resources across the globe. We would be
neglectful not to give direct mention to Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (Winston-Salem, NC), Idea Village (New Orleans, LA), American Underground (Durham, NC), Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (New Haven, CT), Propellor (New Orleans, LA), Springboard Lab (Rocky Mount, NC), The Aspen Institute’s Resnick Aspen Action Forum (Aspen, CO), the Forward Cities Initiative (Cleveland, OH, Durham, NC, New Orleans, LA & Detroit, MI),
Seedstars & Seedstars
Africa (Switzerland), University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC), Duke University and North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC), Jumpstart (Cleveland, OH), Salesforce (Toronto, Canada), Goodwork Network (New Orleans, LA) and several institutions throughout the country of Rwanda including but not limited to the KLab, the Ministry of Youth & ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) and Ambassador
Bill Kayonga, CEO of the National Agricultural Export Development Board! There
are several entities that I did not mention, but it should not reflect a lack of importance to us. Instead, attribute it to a word count limit placed
on us by our communications team!

Not only did we experience unprecedented growth with our iNvictus EMERGE program, iNvictus Forward Outreach expanded its tentacles of aid as well.
WINNING!, our newest program, which is represented by the hope-filled name given to it by our newly hired co-program directors, Dwight Bagley and Eric
Taborn of Durham, NC. WINNING! is a community-driven approach to challenging inner-city social inequities through a collaborative effort grounded in
quantitative research and first-hand practical expertise to produce tangible economic and socially mobile results. Our Board is thrilled with the direction
and efforts already laid out by Mr. Bagley and Taborn and look forward to continuing detailing their service.

Entrepreneurs 4 Education (E4E) has spent the better part of 2016 doing research; collecting data, forming strategic partnerships with entrepreneurs
and laying the foundation for its launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2017. Its core mission is to bring together entrepreneurs and venture leaders
in conjunction with elementary and secondary schools to promote entrepreneurship. E4E does this with the help of school leaders, teachers, and staff
by locating, training and mentoring youth and adolescents on the primary principles of entrepreneurship. Research tells us that between 1993 and 2013,
sixty-three percent of the net new jobs created were done so by entrepreneurs. Small business makes up 90 percent of all new employment. E4E uses as
its point of departure: tomorrow’s entrepreneurs cannot be stumbled upon. We have to find them and aid their development by giving them the necessary
tools to succeed at such an important role in society. E4E sets its table via the 5 components of the program:

School Entrepreneurship Fund

Social Entrepreneurship

Future Venture Leader Mentorship

Improving Education Through Entrepreneurship

Student Pitch Competitions

Look for details on the official launch of Entrepreneurs 4 Education January 11th, 2017!

As Board Chair, I am too thrilled to announce that a non-profit organization I helped co-found almost twenty-five years ago, the Durham H.A.W.K.S.
(Helping All Willing Kids Succeed) merged under the iNvictus Forward Outreach umbrella in April of 2016. It’s former executive director, Courtney Dawes,
and board chair, Mia LoRenn Davis is now co-directors of the Durham H.A.W.K.S. program. Since 1993, it has literally served thousands of youth/adolescents
and affecting tens of thousands of families of participation, staff, volunteers, Board members and community stakeholders through one-on-one and group
mentorship, college tours, basketball, football, tutoring, tee-ball, baseball, cheerleading, lacrosse, soccer, “Lil Tykes” and other programs. The
Durham H.A.W.K.S. will continue its focus on mentoring youth and adolescents through sports and education. It’s newly formed advisory council is currently
working on an expanded strategic plan that addresses similar needs throughout North Carolina. I’ve had a peek in on some of their planning sessions
and am super excited about the expanded vision and its potential impact.

In 2016, we launched iNviTECH, our entrepreneurial edutech program. After sixteen months of research and a streamlined director search, we launched
iNviTECH in the summer of 2016 with a Wearable Devices Summer Camp. Wearable devices are one of the fastest growing categories in consumer electronics
and the wearable technology market is predicted to be worth almost $20 BILLION by 2018. We engaged twenty middle and high school students through our
inaugural camp. It culminated in a pitch competition with industry, city and community stakeholders as the judges. They rewarded our only all-girl
team with first place! iNviTECH carries the weight of its own mandate; to directly increase the underrepresentation of minorities in STEM fields. Based
on our proven launch model, we will reach our goal.

The thought that 2016 continues to be highlighted by a narrative of loss doesn’t bother me. What bothers me more is how we negatively define loss.
In most cultures, loss brings along the synergy of grief. As far back as you can research the etymology of the word, loss has been synonymous with
concepts like destruction, detriment, failure… However, as all true entrepreneurs know, WE create reality. And the reality of 2016 for us
at iNvictus is that on December 22, 2016, a close friend and partner of the iNvictus family,Mr. Hezekiah Griggs, IIIdeparted
this life. I still hear my wife’s words when she learned of his transitioning, “NO! Hezekiah CANNOT BE DEAD! Ed, he’s too young. He STILL has too
much work to do here!” At 28 years of age, that’s an expectation of most. Hezekiah and I talked enough about the future of this work and our efforts
and held each other accountable. We often chided each other, in jest. We often shared our mutually agreed upon sentiments that there aren’t enough
of us fighting. So, those of us fighting have to do more. One of us would say, “You’re not doing enough!”. The other would follow by a list of
what we were currently working on as if to lay out this work as a scorecard or resume. But, in fact, it was a constant and mutual challenge to
do more! During our most recent trip to Rwanda, I remember telling Hezekiah how much more inspired I have become to do even more and find ways
to maximize our impact globally. Since Hezekiah’s passing, we have contemplated a lot, and this “loss,” although extremely difficult to understand,
we accept the challenge to move forth with the vision we always held at the forefront of our efforts. Only now we do so knowing that there is one
less soldier on the battlefield. Yet, we fight, help, grind hearing the forever mantra in our ear, “You’re not doing enough!” #LetsWORK!

Edward R. Boyd, Jr.

iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC.

Chief Strategy Officer

iNvictus Forward Outreach,

Board Chair 

I grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia on South Cherokee Cluster. We had a huge backyard, almost a quarter of an acre. There were some pretty cool features
in our backyard. We had a shed where my mom and dad kept all their tools, the lawn mower, and our bikes. We also had a peach tree that would bloom
every season. Though the peach tree would fruit, very rarely would we each the peaches. The squirrels got to them first. Towards the back of the yard,
we had honeysuckles covering the fence. I’d go back there, pinch the little green caps off the bottom of the flowers, pull out the stem, and lick the
little bubble of nectar that came out. It would take a couple bubbles of honeysuckle nectar before I was satisfied. One year, we also had a vegetable
garden. 

We
grew eggplant, zucchini, watermelon. I can’t remember what else we grew, but I remember our little tiny watermelons being super sweet and one of our
zucchini’s being HUGE. I think we even gave away one to our neighbor. I enjoyed watching the plants grow, however, it wasn’t a huge part of my childhood.
We did the backyard garden a couple seasons and never really came back to it. Perhaps it was because I didn’t see the importance, or I lost interest
or my family simply didn’t have enough time. After all, my mom was a single parent working and going to school.

My Dad lived with us in my early childhood. He worked as a surveyor for a company called Landmark Design Group. Sometimes when my dad came home from survey
jobs he would bring home box turtles. We’d name them and keep them as pets, and after a few days, we would release them into the wild. Occasionally
he’d take my brother and I out in the woods on his survey jobs. He’d navigate the thickets like a champion, all the while warning us about chiggers,
snakes, and poison ivy. My dad was a real nature buff.

My dad was also a hunter. He had tons of rifles and a bow and arrow. He taught my brother about guns and how to properly shoot the bow. He would teach
me sometimes too. One time, he took my brother and I out into the woods and set some targets up in a tree. One of the targets was a plastic bottle.
After my dad taught me the proper way to hold the rifle, how to look down the scope, where the safety was and all that, I kneeled behind a fallen tree
and looked down the scope of the rifle to my target, the plastic bottle.

“Watch me shoot the cap off this bottle,” I announced to my dad and brother, and POW! I did it. My dad started laughing out loud and I think my brother
was kind of jealous. I must have been about ten years old.

When my dad would come home from his hunting trips, he’d go over to my uncle’s house to clean his game. He would bring home the deer meat, season it really
well and make deer jerky. It tasted really nice. He always talked about how much he loved to hunt. His dad taught him, and in turn, my dad taught my
brother. Whenever I’d make arguments against hunting, he’d always explain the cycle of life and talk to me about the importance of survival. He’d talk
about the importance of having the skills to feed yourself, whether that be hunting, fishing, or growing fruits and vegetables. I understand his argument
better now then I did when I was a little girl.

As industrial agriculture poisons our environment and our bodies, now, more than ever, I realize the importance of my father’s words. There’s a movement
happening. There’s a consciousness being reborn. Humans across the globe are harnessing the practical knowledge of the land and the earth’s food systems.
My parents did what they could with what little time they had to teach me and my brother small lessons about growing food, fishing, hunting, and navigating
the wild. I am by no means an expert on any of these things. In fact, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown further and further away from nature. These
days, I’m always on the go— in class, or at work, or in the car. That means that being outside, growing food, catching animals, and fishing requires
a lot of intentional effort to incorporate these things into my daily life. Making an effort to learn about growing eggplant, or eating honeysuckles,
or catching box turtles is a silent reminder of my childhood. I don’t live with my family now, and I don’t talk to them everyday, but the memories
of my childhood and the practical skills that my family taught me about the natural world are deeply engraved in my soul. When it all goes down, when
the system crumbles and the stores close, I know where I’ll be— eating sweet watermelon and drinking honeysuckle nectar, shooting rifles in the
woods with my father.

–Giszell

Three Dog Night, through their lyrics penned years ago, told us that, “one is the loneliest number.” However, programmers will tell you that isn’t true
at all. In fact, the number one is actually plural. It is often used to symbolize a value more than zero. It is used to represent many. “How can one
represent many?” is the obvious response. Originally, it was my response as well.

Since early 2016, when I was initially extended an offer from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) to serve as a member of the second cohort of their Community Leadership Council (CLC),
I have been trying to make sense of the offer, fully understand what would be expected of me and what I should expect of the opportunity. To be informed
that the Foundation’s process had selected me as one of only twenty persons from across the state of North Carolina to serve as a part of the CLC’s
three-year commitment, felt like an honor. In complete honesty, it felt like more of an honor because others I shared the invite with told me it was.
I will talk more about this later. For now, I sat at my office desk listening to Wharton Business Radio on XM and pondered the significance of turning
this offer down.

With a daughter in college in Florida destined to do great things as a marine scientist, another daughter a high school junior readying our family for
the college selection process for the second time and an eleven year old sixth grade son who was entering that stage I am very much familiar with,
having mentored youth and adolescents of the past twenty plus years. He will soon require an absorbent amount of my focused energies. The juxtaposition
of my fatherly duties and my efforts working with minority entrepreneurs through the iNvictus brand, my service on multiple for-profit and non-profit
boards, my own entrepreneurial interests that also require a decent amount of traveling and although I’m pointing it out last, it is very much the
point of departure in my life; that being the constant work it takes attempting to be ever present, thoughtful, loving and a very active husband in
a now two-decade young marriage to my best friend. In essence, I already led a fairly busy life. Anything I chose to infuse into my life’s itinerary
had to be well worth it and by well worth it, I meant it had to be an opportunity I simply could not in good conscious say no to.

I shared the extended invitation with two people. One, a friend and mentor of mine of more than twenty years and the other, a peer I am proud to have considered
a friend over the same period of time. My friend said, “Ed, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is HUGE! Especially within the confines of the state of
North Carolina. I know you have a lot going on, but I would definitely say, if you can do it, you should.” My mentor, within our respective conversation,
basically said these words, “…you really can’t say no to this opportunity. Congratulations! And keep me posted.” There it was. After a call with
the Foundation regarding what would be expected of me, I agreed to serve.

Months later, my orientation had passed. I had the opportunity to meet the nineteen other CLC members in my cohort, ZSR staff and a few past CLC cohort
members. I was excited to have the opportunity to serve with such an intelligent, driven and service oriented group. I could now better gauge the expectations
of me. However, I still had not become fully aware of how my role in this position could be of service to others, more specifically the underserved
populations. I learned long ago that we all should have select people whose opinion really mattered to us. And we should be able to forge an appropriate
trajectory of service and success for our lives with the help of their directives. Now, I am far from a blind follower of anyone. However, it has been
said that the essence of true leadership is found in how one serves others. I would contend that in addition to the service of others, the calibration
of leadership is found in one’s ability to follow.

I spent time allowing my purpose to manifest itself to me. And it did. I found it in the actual press release from Z. Smith Reynolds announcing the 2016-19 CLC.

“…The appointment of this exceptional group of leaders could not have come at a better time,” said Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Executive Director
Maurice “Mo” Green. “…The Community Leadership Council, in so far as it represents a microcosm of North Carolina, is the ideal group to assist us…”

As opposed to simply being a representation of those that would benefit from the Foundation’s efforts, I decided my purpose was to become a liaison,
a catalyst even. In the true essence of the history of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, I will use my position and relationship with the Foundation
to ensure the needs of the people of North Carolina are heard. Individually and in my role as Chief Strategy Officer of iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC and Board Chair of iNvictus Forward Outreach,
I have worked diligently for years to adequately address the inequities that adversely affect minority communities and populations through entrepreneurship
and education. As director of the EMERGE (Entrepreneurship, Mentoring, Economic Development, Research, Growth in Business(es) and Education) program,
my focus is largely in addressing the generational wealth gap that exists between minorities and the majority dominant culture with a laser-like
focus on making impactful, systemic economic and educational changes. Along with our dearth of years of research, collaborations and networks,
I want my position with the CLC to be a dually collaborative one. I want to work with and listen to others in need to ensure we continue to initiate
adequate methods to address those needs. I also intend to collaborate with as many current, past and future CLC members across North Carolina to
bring collaboration and innovation in our efforts to being a part of the solution(s.)

Understandably, this is work. But, it’s part of my life’s work and although sometimes it’s labor intensive, I don’t want it to sound laboring. I’m
excited, to say the least. It’s through this collaborative effort that one again is proven to be plural; it represents many and math makes more
sense.

Overview of iNviTECH

iNviTECH is an educational curriculum program with a focus on STEM and entrepreneurship. We are committed to increasing the number of minorities represented
in STEM fields and STEM-based entrepreneurship. Our summer camps, after school programs and Explorer Posts, have been uniquely designed to engage,
educate and encourage students to accomplish this goal. According to the US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, STEM occupations
are projected to grow by 17.0 percent from 2008 to 2018, compared to 9.8 percent growth for non-STEM occupations.

This summer our iNviTECH STEMgineers were engaged in the process of developing wearable
devices to monitor health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. The students also focused on 21st-century skills such as writing, public speaking,
collaboration and critical thinking skills.

Collaboration Skills

Each morning students met with their teams and discussed what they could improve from the previous day. Students were allowed to choose their teams to
encourage teamwork and less confrontation. This encouraged students to identify problems with their teams and develop solutions to solve their problems.
Collaboration/teamwork is a huge concept for students to master. Students must learn how to be flexible, share ideas and include the voices of everyone
their group for the final presentation. This will help to be the most productive when collaborating with teams in the future. At the conclusion of
the team debriefing, the students were asked to report out their findings. Practice makes perfect!

Public Speaking

In addition to sharing their team goals each morning, students were charged with the task of preparing pitches for their potential investors. They were
given several opportunities to pitch their business plan to the camp counselors and other teams before their presentation. We were able to help students
think through some of their ideas to strengthen their business plans. This was excellent for our STEMgineers. Feedback is always a gift! Our goal at
iNviTECH is to provide students with various activities to speak in front of the peers. Here at iNviTECH, we know that the more opportunities you’re
given to practice, the faster you will perfect you skill. We want our students to be confident, knowledge and speak with clarity when public speaking.

Critical Thinking

After completing research about their specific health conditions, students began to implement the engineering design process (W.E.A.R.). Students were
asked to work with the teams to sketch out their designs for the wearable device. Students were asked to consider placement of the wearable device, sensors being used how the wearable device would function. The sensors
and microcontroller are sewed on the fabric with using conductive threading. The students had to plan and use their critical thinking skills to ensure
that the connections did not cross. The students learned that we never want a positive and negative charge to touch. Here students were provided with
an opportunity to learn the basics of electrical engineering.

After sketching their ideas, students used Google Sketch-Up to make 3D models of their wearable devices. They printed models of their wearable devices
at the Fab Lab at NCCU.

Students learned how to program their wearable device according to the function of their sensors. They were challenged in this endeavor because everything
must be defined and written properly in their programming. I was truly impressed with the programs created by our iNviTECH STEMgineers. They were focused
and dedicated to writing the perfect code for their wearable devices.

Critical thinking and problem solving are essential skills needed in order to pursue a STEM career. We have provided our iNviTECH STEMgineers with the
tools to begin their growth in these two areas. We hope that they continue to develop these skills as they continue their educational journey.

Each day, I was able to see the students’ wearable devices and teamwork improve tremendously. The students were elated as they completed the design of
their wearable devices. It was my privilege to see the light bulbs, student excitement and student engagement throughout each day of the camp.

Fab Lab at NCCU

Students rode public transportation to their field trip at the Fab Lab. The
Fab Lab is located on the campus of NCCU. The students were encouraged to use public transportation for the three reasons: (1) to reduce their carbon
footprint, (2) to be well-versed in public transportation and (3) to ensure they are never stranded. While at the Fab Lab, students made key chains
to market their wearable devices as well as printed the 3D models of their wearables. They also learned about how 3D printers are being used to make
things from car parts to food!

Today is The DAY!

On the final day of the camp, I was so excited to see the STEMgineers in action! I knew they were prepared and I couldn’t wait for them to show off their
wearables, posters, and business plans. We spent the morning finishing up wearable devices and putting the final touches on their pitches. As parents,
judges and community members entered the building; the intensity and competition increased in the room! STEMgineers were selling their ideas, showing
off their wearable and answering questions! It was a proud moment for me and the STEMgineers! The Swag Hat team won. They developed a hat that would
alert users with a vibration when their temperature reached a certain level. The students also received a novelty check for $10,000 from investors
and $20.00 each.

Please enjoy the camp video:

Ursela Jones
iNviTECH Director
www.iNvictusOffice.com
ugarvin@iNvictusOffice.com

She is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a BS in Business Education: Information Technology
and
a M.A.T. in Business Education. She holds
a NC teaching license in business education (6-12), computer education (K-5) and a licensure in educational administration (K-12) from High Point
University 2011. 

She was named Top Five Finalist for Durham Public Schools Teacher of the Year 2015-16. In addition, she was awarded a Kenan Fellowship in Wearable Devices
at NC State University for the 2015-16 school year. She was inspired to begin this summer camp after her fellowship at ASSIST Center at NC State as
a result of the Kenan Fellowship. She is currently a middle school Automation & Robotics teacher, magnet coordinator and STEM Scholars Coordinator
for the Howard N. Lee institute. In addition, she has presented at the Scaling STEM Conference and SAS Math Summit.

During an exercise in a session on Exponential Fundraising being led by Harvard professor Jen McCrae, a lady tells me about her work in Uganda educating
girls/women. The education is holistically based. They teach the whole child/woman. It is even sometimes necessary to impress upon them the initial
spark of desire that leads to education process. As she is detailing her service, I ask, “Is this a REAL need?” She appears puzzled by my question,
but can tell it comes from true ignorance of the Ugandan culture and out of a sincere desire to know. She informs me that in Uganda it is an anomaly
when you find a girl or woman who already has the goal of working outside of the home, going to college, or owning a business. I learned that they
firmly believe their position is to support the family.

In a dialogue around social entrepreneurship, I learned from a Tawainese woman who works with various social entrepreneurs there, of the many difficulties
and great successes she has witnessed and experienced throughout the island,

There was the gentleman from Lagos, Nigeria who exclaimed, during a discussion about generational advancements, “…the future is bright. I can already
see it!”

An hour-long conversation about hope between twenty-five people from over ten countries and the room was filled with tears, smiles, contemplating eyebrows
and not one trite statement about some generally vague concept of hope. It was real!

We debated about how to teach this generation of children to push back and remain alive in the process.

I learned of great work being done in Connecticut around educating the underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields. I learned of the innovative approaches
to education being done in China, the Middle East, Seattle and all over the continent of Africa. 

I learned of the strides being made around racial equity and proximity in South Carolina. Yes, South Carolina!

A gentleman from Panama advised us, “if being personally financially secure helps alleviate some of the fear of uncertainty, as it pertains to committing
your life to what you know you are here on earth to do although it doesn’t come with a hefty salary, then BY ALL MEANS, become financially secure!”
Those of you who know me personally know that really resonated well with me.

As I wait on my flight itinerary to become a little more clear, sitting in this Denver airport I feel like I want to get up and run! See, I just spent
the last five days at The Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado. Upon invitation from their Global Leadership Network, I participated in the Resnick Aspen
Action Forum. “One of the greatest platforms for effecting real and measurable change in the world, …that encourages entrepreneurial leaders from
around the world to commit to putting their ideas for impact into action.” This year’s theme: Leading Toward Justice. My internal compass has always
been my driving force in life. While still a relatively young man, I have committed my life to driving change and addressing the inequities that adversely
affect minority communities and populations in the United States through sports, education, entrepreneurship, mentoring and philanthropy. I can honestly
say I truly love helping others grow their capacity. Yet, leaving this convening and for the first time in my life, I feel moved to action! So much
so, it was either blog or literally sprint through this airport. While my physical body could definitely use the cardio, mentally I need to get this
out!

For far too many nights to count, I’ve pondered at my desk, “Where else is the help?!” While far from making any direct correlation between my life and
that of Dr. King’s, since undergrad learning of and reading his sermon “A Knock at Midnight,” I have on many nights experienced that midnight hour
weakness and faltering of courage that he talks about. However, I never heard that inner voice he spoke of that told him to stand up for righteousness.
Time and time again, I heard my grandfather’s voice say, “Buddy, just do what’s right cause in the end right wins.” That always gave me the strength
to not see the problem as being bigger than the solution. Yet, the loneliness of leadership is more than a platitude.

Spending a week at the ACTION Forum with 350 of the world’s thought leaders, who are also doers, my question has finally been answered. “Where else is
the help?!” It’s spread out all over the globe. There are highly intelligent attorneys in Alabama committed to juvenile justice. There are teachers
in South Texas waist deep in the struggle to create equally accessible quality education for ethnic minorities. In Egypt, oh my God, they’re doing
a myriad of things! Israel, El Salvador, Minnesota, New Orleans, Hong Kong, San Francisco, you name the place and help is there. Now, with a new paradigm
established, armed with a network that has multiplied a hundred-fold, I’m sprinting through this airport, not literally, but sprinting nonetheless
because I found the help. As is the case in so many circumstances; finding your help gives you strength to DO more. I WILL DO MORE!

Edward R. Boyd, Jr.

iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC, Founder/Chief Strategy Officer

iNvictus Forward Outreach, Board Chair

#iNvictusWORKS

Life Happened

Life happened. See, I was contacted by a publication in early January 2016 and asked if I would be interested in writing a blog for them using a conversation
between the current me and the twenty-year-old me as the theme. Basically, I was to mentor myself. I thought it was a great idea and subsequently,
I began writing the blog. Well, I sit now just a couple days after we have all celebrated Independence Day. Yep, seven months later, I had not managed
to finish the blog, yet the publication contacted me once again to pen a blog for them (different subject matter, of course) and I reeked of guilt.
The guilt we all experience when we know we simply did not perform up to our standard. And with all sincerity of heart, I simply offered to them, “Life
happened.”

That has also been a familiar refrain from many I have had conversations with about entrepreneurship. It is often the case that someone is working a full-time
job and participating in their career yet they are experiencing their passion on the side. It’s the accountant that plays upright bass in a jazz band
and performs weekly in front of hundreds of people. It’s the United States Postal Service mail carrier who designs, creates and markets her own clothing
line. The school teacher who codes and creates and sells apps to others because “it’s just something that has always interested (him.)” During these
very separate conversations, a few relatively similar concepts manage to weave their way in. Repeatedly, these part-time entrepreneurs explained to
me that they found the fulfillment of their passion for life while working for themselves. Over and over the sentiment was relayed to me that, “this
is what (they) feel (they) were put on earth to do.” Rarely did I hear mention of their disdain for their full-time jobs. But, overwhelmingly I heard
the tale of their dream to live out their passions as a full-time career. And when pressed about their hesitancy to take that leap, “life happened”
was often the reply.

So many times the foundational reasoning for why an extremely talented person was not currently enjoying the trials and bliss that come from the day-to-day
inhaling and exhaling of being in your purpose was that simple; life happened. Yet, at the same time, that complex; life happened. The waiter who meticulously
details automobiles has a wife with ongoing health issues that prevents him from working a job he cannot easily adjust his schedule to ensure he is
available for his wife’s aid. The government official who makes leather goods and successfully sells to a nationwide customer base without an Internet
presence has seemingly unsurmountable student loans from a college degree she never completed. Life happened. Yet, life happens…

I’ll never forget my first major blunder as an entrepreneur. I took a risk. It failed. I doubled down. It failed again. My business and my credit suffered.
I was twenty-four years old, just five years into my lifelong journey of using entrepreneurship to help solve the social problems I realized were adversely
affecting minority communities and populations. The decision was simple yet, complex. After wading months without paying my mortgage and instead pouring
that money back into my business, the bank had grown weary of the infrequent rate at which they were receiving my mortgage payments and had initiated
the foreclosure process on my home. Wow. Lose my house? …still relatively a newlywed with a newborn daughter, I weighed all options carefully. I
sought help, direction, and mentorship. I was drowning. Life was in fact happening. I was trying daily to figure out how to continue as a full-time
entrepreneur, husband, and father while opening foreclosure documents detailing my options under the law if I so choose to continue to live in my house
until HUD found a new owner to acquire it. As I worked diligently through to the other side of those troubles and fought off depressive moments, I
remember vividly a mentor of mine saying to me, “WHAT NOW?!” His language was little more colorful, but the message was clear, “YES, that happened.
What did you learn from it and what are you going to do next?!” LIFE HAD HAPPENED…TO ME!

It was his tone more so than his words. He seemed upset, almost angry that I would dare pause this journey except to figure out what lesson I should learn
from this. Thinking back, I wasn’t at all clear as to my next move. But, I was more than sure what my next move would not be. I had no intentions of
quitting. Quitting served no purpose for me. So, I went on. I simply went on. Over the last quarter century of being a full-time entrepreneur, I have
learned so many lessons. But, none more valuable than understanding that life happens and I must go on. Not quite as eloquently vulgar as my mentor
once put it to me, but true nonetheless. 

Edward R. Boyd, Jr.

iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC, Founder/Chief Strategy Officer

iNvictus Forward Outreach, Board Chair

Edward R. Boyd, Jr., a lifelong serial entrepreneur, has taught in public and charter schools and served in the nonprofit sector working with urban adolescents
and focusing on national and neighborhood gang prevention, intervention and sustaining. He served as Area Director of Urban YoungLife of Durham/Chapel
Hill, and is the co-founder of the Durham H.A.W.K.S. (Helping All Willing Kids Succeed,) which is currently an iNvictus Forward Outreach program. While
still very active serving on boards and volunteering with organizations dedicated to lowering the prison recidivism rate, he currently serves as Chief
Strategy Officer of iNvictus Group Holdings, an investment group started to address the inequities that adversely affect minority communities and populations,
using entrepreneurship and education as vehicles of change. Edward also serves as Director for the E.M.E.R.G.E. program (Entrepreneurship, Mentoring,
Economic Development, Research, Growth in Business(es) and Education.) Its programming revolves around their mentor-based minority entrepreneurship
curriculum and is headquartered at iNvictus Office Center – A CoWorking Community Space, highly regarded as the HUB of Minority Entrepreneurship and
also houses iNvictus Forward Outreach, the 501(c)3 federally tax-exempt non-profit arm of the iNvictus brand.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: JLT Communications Group

May 22, 2016 

INvictus Office Center Hosts the Launch of the iNvictus Masters of Fate Fellowship Program to Erase Inequities, Boost Minority Entrepreneurial, Business and Non-profit Ventures

iNvictus non-profit arm, iNvictus Forward Outreach, publically unveils eight entrepreneurs selected for inaugural Masters of Fate Fellowship

Forbes magazine reports 8 of 10 entrepreneurs who start a business fail within the first two years. Among the culprits: Leadership breakdowns; lack of
access funding; and an inability to execute a profitable business model and produce proven revenue streams.

iNvictus EMERGE (Entrepreneurship, Mentoring, Economic Development, Research, Growth in Business and Education) continues to address the inequities and
change the story with its Fellowship that selected a cohort of minority entrepreneurs, business owners and non-profit venture leaders from a pool of
over 300 applicants nationwide to spend 18 months gaining access to information, capital and an international network of experts and industry leaders
to guide their journey to success.

On May 26, 2016, at 7 p.m., iNvictus Office Center located at 601 Fayetteville St. Suite 300

Downtown Durham, NC 27701 will open its doors to its non-profit arm, iNvictus Forward Outreach, and through its EMERGE program, introduce its eight
2016-17 fellows of its inaugural Masters of Fate Fellowship cohort.

The June 2016 –November 2017 fellowship provides each venture leader a one-on-one mentor, an industry specific advisor and other strategic advisors to
help them navigate a tailored blueprint to strengthen and grow their venture through access to executives, capital and the expertise of advisors, experts
and investors.

“Our ecosystem fosters a community of inclusion, and the businesses we work with are destined for success as a result,” said Edward Boyd, Jr, Chief Strategy
Officer of iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC and Board Chair of iNvictus Forward Outreach. “We understand that entrepreneurs are essential for a strong
national economy and through our program, minority-owned ventures can experience success and have a global impact.” stated Iyon Mitchell, Executive
Director of iNvictus Forward Outreach.

Each of the iNvictus Masters of Fate Fellows works in one or more of four defined areas at various stages of venture development: STEM, Health/Healthcare,
Food and Education.

One of the fellows, Ursela Jones, is the program director for iNviTECH, an educational technology company that hosts a summer camp for students in grades
6-12 focused on both STEM skills and developing entrepreneurial savvy. iNviTECH also provides a year-long semester based course catalog whose goal
is to aid in producing next generation’s IT entrepreneurs/leaders as well as increase minority participation in STEM fields.

“I’m a lifelong learner and programs like this fellowship will help me to continue to grow myself and, in turn, help me to grow my students,” said Jones,
an award-winning robotics and automation teacher at a Durham, NC, middle school. In addition, Jones applauds the program’s mentorship component. “It
is essential to the life of any organization or business. Having mentors well versed in business concepts, marketing and procuring partnerships will
help me become a better business woman, and help me structure my company in a way it will be sustainable.”

Michael Stewart-Isaacs and Donnell “Artist” Woods joined the fellowship with Board Nation U.S.A., which focuses on bridging gaps in unity within the board
sports community and campaign for board sports as an organized sport.

Other iNvictus Masters of Fate Fellows:

Ivan Jenkins, of Durham NC, owner of Bull City Sports and Fitness which offers a variety of youth/adult fitness and sports programs that stress the importance of sportsmanship and leadership skills and a healthy lifestyle.

 Tahirah Jennings of Raleigh NC, by way of Baltimore, MD, founder of K-TECH Vibes is founder of an IT company whose main purpose is to make technology easier to operate and understand for the everyday person. 

Dwight Brake of Pittsboro, NC owner of waLA an on-demand delivery service that enables its users to order food from any restaurant seamlessly and easily.

Mina Forte of Durham, NC, founder of Java Coffee and Espresso Bar, more commonly referred to as “Mina’s Java”

Dante Evans of Las Vegas, NV, founder and CEO of American Concierge, a lifestyle management organization that provides exquisite and unparalleled concierge services.

Giszell Weather, of Chapel Hill, NC by way of Portsmouth, VA, is founder of Herban, a community space that nurtures and inspires youth through food cultivation.

“iNvictus Office Center strongly believes that the community and environment fosters innovation, productivity, and creativity. Therefore, we built a community for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to work alongside each other and be inspired. From private conference and meeting rooms to shared up to date amenities, we are where people and business come to work and grow together.” added Joseph Biggs, Jr. CEO and Managing Partner of iNvictus Office Center.  

For more information, visit www.iNvictusOffice.com 

The notion of creating a pipeline for underrepresented groups to gain access to an equal playing field is a proven success model. Irrespective of the industry,
creating access to minorities has increased opportunities that were not present before. These channels have paved the way for women and people of color
in fields such as medicine, stem, and higher education.

Select minorities though have benefited from a national pipeline capable of producing new entrepreneurs. Often marginalized populations with access have
a similar profile to the elite members of the industry. While these individuals comprise all minority descriptors, more often than not they are from
privileged backgrounds. Many minority entrepreneurs with have some combination of a tier one education, strong relationships with power brokers or
are presented with unique opportunities.

Rarely has the pipeline included the average poor, working class or middle class minorities. Even more obscure is the non-tech startup benefitting from
access. Overwhelming funds and resources are targeted at businesses that are considered to have high growth potential. Venture capitalists and angel
investors shy away from mom and pop operations, yet these types of businesses are the ones that revitalize communities.

On an international scale, the numbers are more obscure for the average minority. Many entrepreneurs lack the access to capital, lack the access to a larger
network, or the knowledge needed to enter into the global marketplace. Access to an international entrepreneurial pipeline though, provides underserved
populations with the opportunity to gain greater insight into various sectors and lessens the learning curve about developing their products and operating
on a global scale.

The idea that people pull themselves up by their own bootstraps is largely false. In most cases, these entrepreneurs were given an opportunity and they
made the most of if, but the opportunity was still granted. A global entrepreneurial pipeline provides marginalized entrepreneurs with an international
platform to leverage their products, skills, and talents.

To combat the wealth inequality of the $250 trillion controlled among global households, an international pipeline is a must. Seventy one percent of the
worlds population has a net worth of less than $10,000 US Dollars while 50% of the worlds wealth is owned by 1% of the population. As alarming, in
the United States the top 10% of whites control 90% of the country’s wealth.

Underrepresented business owners are more than capable of impacting change globally. With $400 billion in annual revenues and home to over 2 million employees
minority business owners contribute over $1 billion per day to the US economy. Moreover these entities have the ability to create even more jobs and
greater economic contributions.

iNvictus Forward Outreach has a goal of increasing the number of companies owned by females and persons of color on a global scale. Through our iNvictus
EMERGE (Entrepreneurship, Mentoring, Economic Development, Research, Growth in business(es) & Education) program, minorities are granted the opportunity
to compete on an international scale. We ensure that start-ups and new ventures are provided with the access to capital and access to an international
network to hone their skills and deliver their products. Our ecosystem fosters a community of inclusion and the businesses we work with are destined
for success as a result. We understand that entrepreneurs are essential for a strong global economy and through our program, minority ventures can
create a global impact.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Charles Iyon Mitchell is the Executive Director of Invictus Forward Outreach and Curriculum Manager for Invictus Office Center. With teaching being his
passion, Charles has been an educator since 2005, currently serving as an instructor at North Carolina Central University. Additionally, Mr. Mitchell
is actively connected to the community by coaching and mentoring with the Durham H.A.W.K.S. (Helping All Willing Kids Succeed) organization and serving
at World Overcomers Christian Church. A native of Goldsboro, NC, Charles is married to his best friend, Rashaunte Hinnant. They are blessed with two
children, Kyle and Khloe.