Founders

Sierra Boone

Sierra L. Boone is a writer, producer, and founder using media and technology to build calmer, more connected childhoods. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has crafted stories for brands like The History Channel, ADIDAS, Verizon Media, and AFROPUNK—work rooted in the belief that storytelling can heal and transform communities. In 2021, Sierra founded Boone Productions, launching The Nap Time Show®—a rest-centered children’s series now airing on PBS and trusted by tens of thousands of families worldwide. What began as a small idea in her living room has grown into a movement redefining what “screen time” can look like for kids. Today, she leads the company’s next evolution: Fruit Snack Streams, a first-of-its-kind digital platform helping child care centers manage classroom transitions and emotional regulation through calm, story-driven media. By merging early childhood development, neuroscience, and storytelling, Sierra is helping educators reduce chaos, improve retention, and make peace a daily classroom practice. Recognized as a Ford Philanthropy Fellow, Black Ambition Semifinalist, and Rocket Companies Marketing Accelerator Winner, Sierra continues to champion rest, innovation, and representation from her hometown of Detroit—proving that impact storytelling isn’t just entertainment; it’s infrastructure for a better world.

Myca London

Myca London is the founder and owner of M.L. Event Company, a Detroit-based event planning and production company built to help people stress less, celebrate more, and show up fully for the moments that matter. Her love for events started early at just six years old, she planned a surprise anniversary party for her parents, not knowing that moment would become the beginning of a lifelong passion for bringing people together. Today, that same passion has grown into a company focused on planning, production, hospitality, vendor coordination, and community-centered experiences. Through M.L. Event Company, Myca has supported small businesses, families, entrepreneurs, and community partners with events that create visibility, connection, and meaningful memories. Her work goes beyond décor and logistics — she helps clients reclaim time, reduce stress, and turn their ideas into organized, intentional experiences. As M.L. Event Company continues to grow, Myca is focused on building a stronger team, investing in production materials, supporting local vendors and event workers, and expanding the company’s impact throughout Detroit and beyond. This campaign is an opportunity to help move the business from community-backed to community-powered.

Terranie Clarke

Terranie Clarke is an author, maternal health advocate, and founder of The Heart Next Door, an award-winning femtech platform created to support mothers and babies through pregnancy, birth, and the early years of life. Her work is rooted in one core belief: no mother should have to feel unseen, unheard, or alone during one of the most vulnerable seasons of her life. Terranie’s mission comes from lived experience. After a pregnancy and birth that nearly cost her life, she came out of it forever changed—carrying not only the weight of what she survived, but a deep responsibility to make sure other families are better supported than she was. What she experienced exposed just how fragile maternal care can be, and how often families are left to navigate fear, trauma, and uncertainty without the emotional and practical support they need. Terranie’s work is rooted in the urgent reality of the maternal mortality crisis in the United States, where too many mothers, especially Black women, continue to face preventable harm and loss. In response, she built The Heart Next Door as part of a broader mission to close the gaps in care, information, and emotional support that too often leave families vulnerable during pregnancy and postpartum. Through education, storytelling, and accessible digital tools, her goal is simple but urgent: to help build a world where no mother dies giving life. Every part of her work is focused on ensuring mothers don’t just survive, but truly thrive—together with their babies and families.

Arabia Simeon

Arabia Simeon is a designer, technologist, and founder building platforms that make civic engagement more accessible for the next generation. With a background in Computer Science and Studio Art from Smith College, her work sits at the intersection of technology, design, and community. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and later moved to Detroit through Venture For America to build startups in an emerging ecosystem and deepen her experience in product design, engineering, and product management. Her interest in civic tech comes from lived experience. She has seen how policy shapes everyday life, how systems like the justice system impact her community, and how even engaged voters can feel overwhelmed by inaccessible ballot information. That gap led her to create POGO (Politics on the Go), a civic tech platform helping Gen Z and Millennials understand candidates, issues, and civic participation through clearer, more accessible voter information. Before founding POGO, she started her career at The Huffington Post and AOL. She taught computer science through Girls Who Code and worked at multiple startups. Her work has been recognized by the Black Ambition Prize and the Detroit Startup Fund, and featured in CBS Detroit, BridgeDetroit, Michigan Chronicle, WDET (NPR Detroit), Technical.ly, and Spotlight on the News. She is building technology and civic infrastructure that helps young people better understand, engage with, and shape the future of their communities.

Koi Mitchell

Koi Mitchell is the founder of Top Pic Photo Booth Co., a Metro Detroit-based luxury photo booth company creating branded photo and video experiences for weddings, corporate events, schools, nonprofits, and community celebrations. Since launching in 2021, Koi has grown Top Pic through creativity, community support, repeat clients, and a commitment to helping people capture memories that last beyond the event.

Crystal Angel

Crystal Angel is the founder and CEO of ANGELS ONLY, a viral fashion-forward medical scrub line she built from the ground up during one of the most uncertain moments in modern history and turned into a global brand. A Grand Valley State University graduate, Crystal built her foundation in healthcare at Detroit Medical Center (DMC), where she provided outpatient care for patients in the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan's Center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Program. Working in healthcare gave her something no business school could teach: a firsthand understanding of what the women carrying this industry on their backs actually needed. It didn't just shape her perspective. It gave her the blueprint for a brand the industry had been missing. When the pandemic brought her career to an unexpected halt after she was furloughed, she channeled everything she knew into building something the market had never seen. Five months later, she launched ANGELS ONLY. She had no business background. No investors. No roadmap. What she had was a healthcare professional's eye for what was broken, a lifelong passion for fashion, and the unwavering conviction that women in healthcare deserved better than what the market was offering. She spent months researching manufacturers, sourcing fabrics, and teaching herself how to build and market a brand entirely from scratch. The result was a business that went viral on its 5th TikTok video, generated 4 million views within weeks of launching on the platform, and sold out every design within days of each drop. Comments poured in from healthcare workers & beauty professionals across the world as Crystal documented her entire journey in real time; showing young women how to pursue their own dreams without waiting for permission. That authenticity built something money can't manufacture: a loyal, engaged community spanning 35 countries and 6 continents. ANGELS ONLY has been featured in Business Insider, covered by major news networks, leading healthcare platforms, and has received support and recognition from the Detroit Pistons, JP Morgan Chase, FedEx, and leading consumer brands including SheaMoisture. Crystal is a proud Detroit native, Grand Valley State University alumna, and Jack & Jill of America legacy, grounded in values of community, excellence, and the responsibility to lift as you climb. Those values are not incidental to ANGELS ONLY. They are the foundation of it. Today, Crystal is raising $100,000 to build the infrastructure that matches the momentum ANGELS ONLY has already earned — expanding inventory, strengthening fulfillment, and growing the team needed to meet a demand that is already here. Your vote is what opens the next door. Cast it for ANGELS ONLY!

Margarita Barry

👋 Hi, I'm Margarita. I'm a former small business owner, startup founder, and marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses, navigate technology, and access new opportunities. As a neurodivergent founder, I know firsthand what it's like to be expected to use tools that weren't designed for how you think, learn, or work. Unfortunately, that's the reality for many small business owners today. Small businesses are being told to adopt AI, automation, and new technology faster than ever, but most don't have the time, technical background, staff, or support to make it work. That's why I created Shophand. 💙 Shophand helps non-techie small business owners adopt AI and modern technology with confidence by combining: 🤖 AI Employees with specialized roles and expertise 🛠️ Step-by-step workflow guidance and implementation support 🙋 Human experts who can teach, build, or do the work for you 💰 Funding opportunities, grants, and growth resources 📚 Personalized toolkits and learning resources designed for real business owners Our mission is simple: make technology more accessible, more human, and more useful for the entrepreneurs who need it most. Today, Shophand has already helped thousands of small business owners through our pilot program. With your support, we can move from pilot to full launch and reach even more entrepreneurs across the country. ✨ YOUR DONATION HELPS US: 🚀 Build and launch the next phase of Shophand 💼 Create AI and gig work opportunities for under-resourced entrepreneurs 🤖 Help 50,000 small businesses adopt AI and modern technology 🌎 Close the digital divide for non-techie business owners 🎁 Supporters can receive exclusive rewards, including social media makeovers, business spotlights, Shophand memberships, lifetime discounts, and Founding Fifty benefits for early supporters. Every donation is tax-deductible and helps us earn votes in the Black Girl Ventures competition. 🏆 Visit shophand.com/raisify to explore available rewards. ✨ Thank you in advance for supporting Shophand! Your support means the world to me and helps us build a future where small business owners don't have to navigate technology alone. 💜 While you're there, I also encourage you to check out the other Fellows in the competition. They're also building incredible businesses and creating meaningful impact in Detroit and beyond. If you have the means, you can support and vote for more than one of us! 🌟 Want to learn more about Shophand? Visit shophand.com to explore the platform and become a free member of our growing small business community. 📣 Not a small business owner yourself? You can still donate! Not feeling it? You can still help: If you know a local business owner, entrepreneur, freelancer, creative, or consultant who could benefit from Shophand, invite them to join our community at shophand.com/invite.

Annette Anderson

Annette Anderson, RN, is the Founder and CEO of 1st Step Healthcare Training, a Detroit-based healthcare certification school dedicated to building the next generation of skilled healthcare workers. A first-generation college graduate and registered nurse, Annette launched 1st Step in 2024 to provide accelerated, affordable pathways into healthcare careers — offering CNA, Phlebotomy, EKG Technician, CPR/BLS, and Pharmacy Technician programs. Since opening, the school has trained 400+ students with a 90% state exam pass rate and strong job placement outcomes. Annette also leads NextStep Workforce Health Foundation, a companion nonprofit expanding access to healthcare education in underserved communities. Her work sits at the intersection of workforce development, community empowerment, and healthcare equity — and she brings the same energy to fundraising that she brings to the classroom: bold, purposeful, and built to last.

Danielle Hughes

Danielle D. Hughes is a serial entrepreneur and author operating at the intersection of commerce, creativity, and community impact. A proud Detroiter and purpose-driven changemaker, she is a 2x Forbes Under 30 honoree recognized for her transformative work in education and youth empowerment. She is currently building The Pose Experience, the world’s first mobile selfie boutique -- a 24-foot mobile trailer converted into an interactive selfie museum experience for community events, corporate activations, schools, and private celebrations.