Company: Kat D Productions, LLC

Katherine is a New York City based freelance videographer and video editor specializing in producing, filming, and editing promotional videos for non-profit organizations to help them increase awareness and raise funds for their cause. Kat D Productions started after Katherine graduated from the University of Mount Saint Vincent and offered her videography services to her Public Relations internship supervisor at her alma mater. Katherine recognized the university's need for video marketing as their public relations department was short staffed and unable to produce videos in house.

Ever since then, Kat D Productions continues to help the University of Mount Saint Vincent and other nationally recognized non-profit institutions increase awareness and funds for their causes including clients such as the Sisters of Charity of New York and the NYC Boss Up Program. Kat D Productions is also a New York City registered Minority and Women-Owned Enterprise.

Company: Mariachi’s Mexican Cantina

Marlin Yinet Santos served for three years on active duty in the Army. She also served overseas in Operation Iraqi Freedom for one year. She has enjoyed the adventure and challenges that come with owning a small business, and has levered the skills taught in the Army to take her business to the next level.

Now she is a minority Veteran small business owner of Mariachis Mexican Cantina on Staten Island, which serves California-style Mexican food. Mariachis is a family style, pet-friendly restaurant where you come to have a wonderful time with friends and family. They pride themselves in serving the community and making sure that everyone feels welcome.

Company: Woofbowl

Ron Holloway is an American disabled-Veteran and co-founder of Woofbowl, a pet brand focused on hiring Veterans. He joined the military after 9/11 and served in the US Navy from 2001 to 2010. After witnessing a friend lose his life at sea, Ron became a High-Risk Water Survival Instructor - ultimately training 10,000 personnel. After military service, he earned a BS in Political Science from Old Dominion University and an MBA from College Park, Maryland. He has spoken on Veteran issues for President Barack Obama, Senator Jim Webb, and Navy League President John A. Panneton. He believes adversity is the achiever and hope is a call to action.

After leaving the military Ron started Woofbowl, a food truck for dogs, serving the healthiest and freshest pet treats– with one catch. Each treat is inspired by and is a replica of food humans eat, including burgers, fries, beer, ice cream, and more. Woofbowl also builds community through their "pup-ups" in various NYC neighborhoods in partnership with other dog-friendly small businesses. Ron’s hope is to be the Whole Foods and Shake Shack for the pet industry.

Company: Brothers Building Blocks

Serghio Adams was born in Suriname, raised in Guyana, then emigrated to Brooklyn, New York. He joined the Army and completed his training at Fort Jackson, SC. Since his service, he obtained a Bachelor's degree as well as a Masters Degree in International Relations and an Advanced Certificate in United Nation Studies from Long Island University. In 2019, he founded the company Brothers Building Blocks.

Brothers Building Blocks empowers youth to consider STEM careers and provides a roadmap to get there. They fulfill this mission by providing a cohesive, cohort-based educational enrichment program. Brothers Building Blocks partners with opportunity programs, non-profits, corporations, state and federal agencies, middle & high schools, and colleges & universities to serve youth and adults.

Sergio also serves on the Board of Directors for Neighborhood Housing Services of Brooklyn, CDC Inc. as Board President.

Company: indeHealth

Tsikata Apenyo pursued his medical degree at Brown University and is currently in the final year of an MBA program at Yale University. Previously, he served as a Fulbright Fellow in the Republic of China and as a Medical Corps officer in the US Army. Tsikata is also a Tillman Scholar.

Tsikata founded indeHealth based on personal experiences and a profound appreciation of the challenges students encounter in accessing care. He recognized the fragmented nature of campus healthcare, where access to quality care is often considered a privilege rather than a fundamental human right.

indeHealth serves as a vital intermediary between students and universities, providing a comprehensive healthcare management platform that puts students at the center of their healthcare journey. Guided by a vision for change, indeHealth introduced UniHealth, their flagship service that bridges the gap between students and universities. By equipping students with this crucial knowledge and guiding them to seek professional medical help when necessary, indeHealth helps to alleviate the burden on university health centers, ultimately fostering a healthier campus community.

Company: Women of Color Rise

Analiza Quiroz Wolf is a seasoned, certified executive coach and CEO of Women of Color Rise, an equity-based coaching firm focused on women and people of color. Founded in 2021 business has a mission of elevating diverse leaders, especially women of color, to positions of power. Analiza coaches social entrepreneurs, C-suite leaders, Superintendents, and CEOs to build their businesses and non-profits and expand their impact. In her 20+ year career, Analiza has developed hundreds of executive leaders to move forward with clarity, confidence, and concrete tools for transformational change that centers equity. Currently, Women of Color Rise includes coaching, facilitation, and DEI and talent consulting.

Analiza has served as the CEO of a NYC charter school network, Brand Manager of a Fortune 200 company, and a Captain in the US Air Force. She graduated with her BA and BS from Stanford University, MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and Master of Educational Leadership from the Broad Center (now at Yale). She was also a Fulbright Scholar, Pahara Fellow, and member of the Aspen Global Leaders Network.

Company: Vanso Visual Imaging

Vance Gorman Jr. grew up in Brooklyn and faced many hardships as a victim of violence and poverty in an underserved community. Though his environment presented him with challenges, he never became a “product of his environment”. Instead, when he became of age he decided to join the brotherhood in the United States Marine Corps.

During his enlistment, Vance was imbued with the core values and pride of being a United States Marine. After working with combat cameramen on lengthy field operations, Vance discovered a passion for photography. He learned valuable skills and discipline for capturing authentic stories that connect with people. After the Marines, Vance self-funded his own photography business and continued to expand his skillset.

Vanso Visual Imaging helps clients express their unique personality and beauty through photography. Vance’s specialty is creative editorial and journalistic style portrait photography, which includes headshots, family portraits, and personal branding. He also provides various additional services such as retouching and editing, and works with clients to create a custom experience that meets their individual needs.

Company: TreeARMY Inc.

SFC Nicholas Lynch Sr left for the US Army the day he graduated from high school, and quickly rose up the ranks to become a well-respected Senior Non Commissioned Officer. After completing a tour in Kuwait from 1999 - 2000 and serving 23 honorable years, Nick retired from the military and became an Arborist, and founded TreeARMY alongside his wife Joelle.

SGT Joelle Lynch is a US Army veteran, serving from 2004 to 2016. Sgt Lynch served with the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion out of Yonkers and Orangeburg NY, as a 25L Cable Systems Installer Maintainer. In 2016, she played an integral part in establishing the Veterans Initiatives Office at the Prudential Insurance Company, to influence corporate and policy change for veterans.

TreeARMY is a veteran owned and operated Bronx-based business serving all of NYC with tree removal, tree pruning, planting and emergency response. They aim to better the community and environment while giving transitioning veterans and dependents a safe place to decompress and acclimate back into civilian life. By bridging the gap between the community and our veterans, TreeARMY aims to combat homelessness and veteran suicide.

In 2023, TreeARMY was awarded the Betty Campbell Adams Most Valuable Merchant Award and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce Veteran-Owned Business Award.

Company: Straylight Systems

Sergio Rodriguera Jr. served as a Naval Intelligence Officer on both active duty and as a reservist, where his last assignment was to lead a team of technologists advising the Director of Intelligence on emerging technology at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-2). Through his six years of service, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara and Naval War College.

Sergio is the Co-Founder of Straylight Systems, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) company that believes AI should be explainable, trustworthy, and outcome-driven. Straylight supports commercial and government customers to operationalize their data by ingesting thousands of disparate and unstructured PDFs, text files, CSVs, audio, and video files to unify and normalize in seconds so as to accelerate and improve C-suite decisionmaking in the public and private sectors. Utilizing Straylight’s proprietary AI, customers can automate and accelerate critical steps to unlock structured and unstructured data in PDFs, CSV and text files and automate tagging and labeling of data, saving thousands of hours.

Company: AJM Business Service, Inc.

Dan Rossi joined the Marine Corps even before graduating high school. He served two tours in Vietnam in a helicopter squadron, HML-167. He had volunteered for a third tour but was honorably discharged with the rank of SGT with service connected disabilities.

After returning home to the Bronx, Dan opened his own sheet metal shop to build food carts; within a decade he owned the largest food vending company in NYC’s history. When a local law reduced his ownership of 499 cart permits to just one, Dan reinvented himself by becoming a food vendor. He is now known internationally as “The New York Hot Dog King,” as noted by The New York Times.

Over the years, Dan helped to build the City’s food vending inspection program with the Department of Health, including contributing to the application booklet for the licenses and permits required for food carts. No other non-city employee was ever asked to do that. When it comes to vending laws, Dan’s knowledge is unmatched. He is a disabled veteran who enjoys serving food to people from all over the world.

Company: Ms. Macs Catering & Ms. Macs Bakery

Sarah Adams is a food entrepreneur and the owner of West Indian Foods LLC. She operates Ms. Macs Catering, providing corporate catering services within the five boroughs of NYC year round. In addition, Sarah manages Ms. Macs Bakery, producing specialized holiday style pastries. She has completed the Food Pathways Program and the Food Business Refresher Bootcamp. When she’s not managing orders or ensuring that food packaging is aligned with her brand, Sarah works as a local and international education consultant focused on staff development and corporate training. She holds Bachelors and Master's degrees from the City College of New York and was a former Colin Powell Fellow. In addition, Ms. Adams is also a graduate of Pace University with advanced studies in Adolescent Education. She maintains a professional teaching license from NYS Board of Regents. Sarah hopes to one day combine her love for education and entrepreneurship by developing workshops and trainings for others entering the food business.

Company: Digital Design Tech Testing

I am passionate about STEM education for young people from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. After earning my Master’s degree, I began a career at a university, ultimately becoming the Director of Continuing Education and Paralegal Studies. I also taught videogame building courses for middle school students, as well as Paralegal Studies to older students. After losing my mother to cancer, I returned to public housing, where I had been reared, to care for my younger autistic brother. He passed away unexpectedly in 2016. I have now served on the inaugural NYCHA Resident Roundtable for over 3 years and have been on several nonprofit and a foundation board.

In late 2022, I started a business in the IT software & hardware testing/recruitment sector, and subsequently received a NYC Boss Up grant. My mission is to reach as many people as possible within NYCHA — and surrounding lower-income communities — to beta-test technology and earn extra income. My career as a university director, organizer and my commitment to improving living conditions for residents at NYCHA, have prepared me for this unique type of entrepreneurship.

Company: Fable Jones Studio

Michael Watson, also known as Fable Jones, is a Harlem-based artist and curator who loves to create watercolor paintings depicting people of color from around the world. Fable graduated with a BFA in Commercial Illustration from FIT in 2013, and furthered his studies in book illustration, printmaking, graphic design, and anatomical drawing at the Art Students League, SVA, and the New York Academy of Art. In 2020, Fable and his brother Ciriaco (creator of Flex-N-Poettree) founded Fable Jones Studios to provide a platform, creative safe haven, and community for local NYC visual artists and performers. Fable continues to expand his expertise through his unwavering interest in learning and personal growth.

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