Shark Tank on the Shore: Meet the Genesis Block Demo Day Founders
Genesis Block Demo Day is less than a week away and the participants are preparing to showcase their companies to the judges. 2020 Cape Fear Minority Enterprise Development Week is a part of the nationwide observance of Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. The 2020 activities will occur during October 5th — 10th in various locations throughout the region. Genesis Block is partnering with UNCW Center for Innovation to host the first ever Genesis Block Demo Day.
Register for the event in person here: https://aceweb.uncw.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp3?&course=21ACIE008
Register for the event virtually here: https://uncw.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIoc-yupz8sGtU8_-TM4jZqGtQq7dbdj65x
We would like to introduce the participants of Genesis Block Demo Day.
Adjusting to parenthood can be the most rewarding and challenging experience for new mothers. Danielle Eriksson has developed an application that provides a safe online network for new mothers to build community.
UrbanKiddie is an app community in the prototype stage that enables new parents to safely connect, share resources and create networks with other parents like them. The vision for the app is a vibrant community of aspiring and new parents who are able to make authentic connections with other parents based on proximity, specific interests or where they are in the journey of parenthood.
“We are so excited and honored to be included in Demo Day! What an amazing community we are lucky to be a part of here in Wilmington, NC. My family and I moved here in 2019 and have been blown away by what an intelligent, thoughtful and entrepreneurial community exists here in Wilmington. We look forward to seeing the other local businesses presenting at Demo Day and continue to learn about the vibrancy and depth that exists all around us,” says Urban Kiddie founder Danielle Eriksson.
Blue Roll is the cinematic production house for all your social media needs in the Cape Fear region. Nathanel Tyre Conway is the founder of Blue Roll and his company specializes in the production and distribution of video content for any digital platform.
Working alongside companies like; The Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Duke Energy, Coastal Beverage, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, and the YWCA, Blue Roll aims to share the story of companies and organizations with cinematic media production for social media content.
“We are thrilled to support local businesses such as Genesis Block in their quest to add value to the community through friendly competition. Our goal for participating in this event is to establish deeper connections with the individuals and businesses within our community,” says Conway.
With the tagline “the sauce that makes everything in your kitchen and on your grill delish” Jones Sunset Sauce has become a community favorite in Pender County. Founder Tiffany Hansley Jones has a goal for Jones Sunset Sauce to be on every grocery store shelf in the future. Tiffany Hansley Jones is no stranger to achievement. She was recently recognized by the Star News and Wilmington Chamber of Commerce for the prestigious honor of top 40 under 40.
Jones Sunset Sauce, LLC is the outcome of our desire to serve and our passion for people.Jones Sunset Sauce is a family recipe that was passed down from a mother to her son. His desire to serve the community, family members and friends was the stage for him to present and perfect this family owned recipe.
“I’m excited to be a member of Genesis Block and participate in the first ever Genesis Block Demo Day. Genesis Block is truly the place where potential meets opportunity,” says Jones Sunset Sauce CEO Tiffany Hansley-Jones.
Awards and accolades have been pouring in for Work Tok Founder Lisa Leath. Leath was awarded the 2020 Coastal Entrepreneur Awards Winner in the Emerging Company category this summer. She was also recognized in the top 40 under 40 by the Star News and Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.
WorkTok, is an app launched in March 2020, that allows employers to stay in touch with their employees on a repeated basis through exchange of a regular set of questions — mobile check-ins. Think of it as calendar, messenger and survey monkey in 1 app. The questions are designed to measure how the employee’s week has progressed and identify concerns. The surveys or “toks” can be modified to fit any number of work-related subjects and set to daily, weekly or monthly, then pushed via mobile device to users who have downloaded the app. WorkTok, functions on both Android and iPhone.
Check out how it works here WorkTok Videos
“We are developing employee engagement for today’s world. We’re thrilled to participate in demo day at Genesis Block because we believe it will give us the right kind of exposure for our tech product that’s soon to release from Beta testing,” says Leath.
Brenda Carlton Dixon is the owner of Dixon Realty. She is also the Founder of Get That Deed, LLC located in Wilmington, North Carolina. Get That Deed LLC, is a grass-roots initiative created to help the working families break long-standing generational tenant cycles with 1st-time homeownership. Home ownership is one of the most important factors to creating wealth. In 2015, the average net worth of a homeowner in the United States was $195,400, compared to just $5,400 for a renter, according to the Federal Reserve.
“It all starts with that first deed,”says Founder Brenda Carlton Dixon. “We show our clients how this builds up sound, positive financial habits that can be taught to their kids and future generations thus creating generational financial stability and inheritance through the ownership of real estate. Get That Deed is a ‘no cost’ program with no judgment. No matter the current finances, we show families how they can purchase their first home in the next 18 months or less. To date, we’ve helped 65 families to own homes including a Disabled Veteran that had rented for 50 years, “tells Dixon.
“I’m very happy that Demo Day was added to the list of events for MED week. This is giving me and others the opportunity to share and bring awareness to a broader audience of the things we are passionate about that is adding value to our communities. I have high expectations of the good that will come from this,” says Dixon.
Accidents can happen anytime and anywhere. In one year alone, over 475,000 Americans died from cardiac arrest. Cassandra McNeil is a certified CPR instructor and her company helps provide the training necessary to save lives.
CPR Solution is available to provide various solutions to complete all CPR training needs. The company understands how vital it is to be equipped with this life saving skill at work, school, home with your loved ones and during those unpredictable life events. “Since 2017, our designated Instructor has certified many healthcare, childcare providers, non-clinical professionals and students in First Aid and CPR. Our mobile company can come to you and facilitate training for 1 to 100,” states owner Cassandra McNeil.
“We are excited to participate with Genesis Block Demo Day for a few reasons. It provides the opportunity to learn more about and connect with other minority owned businesses in the area. Also, we will receive additional exposure for CPR Solution to a new audience, which in turn can help with business growth. Lastly, the showcasing of our business can produce areas of improvement when advertising to ensure our messaging regarding our services are crystal clear,” says McNeil.
It’s a homemade & handcrafted rub that can be used on practically anything you eat. It’s “The Rub for Your Grub!”
This is the slogan that best describes Jayski’s Rub-A-Dub a local food seasoning company based in Hampstead, North Carolina. Founded in February 2019, the company has created a rub that conforms to anything you eat.
Jayski’s Rub-A-Dub is run by husband and wife duo William (Jay) and Shemeka Stokes. The husband and wife team take pride in bringing you quality products.
“We’re excited about participating in Genesis Block Demo Day and to be able to make new connections while sharing our brand and goals for our business,” says William Stokes.
“Being a Max Living Doctor is more than just helping people feel healthy. We want people to BE healthy from the inside out. Our top priority is to give patients the most effective chiropractic corrective care and most cutting edge information on health and wellness,” say Dr. Ada Suter.
Dr. Ada Suter is the owner of Innate Health Family Chiropractic and Wellness in Hampstead, North Carolina. Dr. Ada has a passion for empowering her patients with the knowledge that healing comes from within and teaching our methods through The 5 Essentials.
“Innate Health Family Chiropractic & Wellness is providing health and wellness from above, down, inside out in Pender and surrounding counties. We are excited to become Genesis Block members because we want to collaborate with our growing community in an innovative and creative way. Demo Day provides us with the opportunity to reach a much broader audience and connect with the entrepreneurial community,” says Dr. Ada.
Genesis Block is honored to host this special event on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 from 6pm-8pm at our location (The Dennis Hopper Building) in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina.
