Equitech Tuesday #149: Rising Innovators

A special message from Micky Wolf, CEO of Dent Education:

Imagine it’s Tuesday, May 14, 2030. You walk into Equitech Tuesday #462. Who are the rising Baltimore innovation leaders in that room? Join us this Tuesday, May 14, 2024 to find out!

At this week’s special Equitech TuesdayDent Education’s Spring Showcase, you will connect with passionate Baltimore youth entrepreneurs, technologists, and designers!

You’ll hear youth innovators aged 14-24 share their ventures in Dent’s three Earn-to-Learn Programs:

  • Designing custom products for e-commerce and clients in Made@Dent.
  • Building their own clothing business or empowering nonprofit in Accelerate Your Dent.
  • Leveraging AI to address challenges like food insecurity in AI Academy powered by DataCamp Donates.

We believe Baltimore has the potential to be the Youth Innovation Capital of the World and it’s because our leading innovators of today are invested in the success of our leading innovators of tomorrow.

This looks like Adeola Ajani, now a Dent Mentor and Made@Dent Client, coaching Denters like Shani’a Stevenson, Founder of NAV, in Accelerate Your Dent 2022. Shani’a, now a HS Senior, became the youngest person ever in the Hopkins Social Innovation Lab (showcase on May 16th!) and is now building in the same cohort as Dent Food-for-Thought Speaker Shawna Stepp-Jones.

It looks like Paris Dean mentoring Dent’s first Innovator-in-Residence, Joshua Chiosi, who is now a Marketing Intern with Sparen Homes.

It looks like Nichole SullivanKen Malone, and Nicole Foster being Denternship Hosts who hired youth designers to address their human-centered Innovation Challenge.

It looks like Devin Allen buying the book of Jalil Liverman, Denter and Founder of Dream Big Inferno, and then giving an impromptu go-to-market strategy lesson at Dent’s Pop-Up at R House.

It looks like Made@Dent Mentors Naomi Winston and LaQuida Chancey collaborating with youth co-owners on the Black Butterfly Varsity Jacket, inspired by Dr. Lawrence Brown.

It looks like Pava LaPere, a Denternship Host, speaking passionately about young people learning AI at an UpSurge-hosted conversation. That event inspired how we shaped AI Academy powered by DataCamp Donates whose curriculum was informed by Brian Carlson & Michael Ogunsanya.

Dent’s partnership with UpSurge goes way back. 2024 will be the 3rd straight summer where UpSurge hosts a site of youth for Bet on Baltimore, Dent’s flagship summer internship.

The relationships forming today will shape the future of Baltimore’s innovation ecosystem.

Some say your network is your net worth. If you are invested in an equitable Baltimore future you will want to connect with these Denters!  RSVP here today.

Micky Wolf

CEO of Dent Education