Britney Robbins’ goal is to change the narrative for underserved and historically marginalized entrepreneurs. Before starting The Gray Matter Experience, she had been working in various venture capital firms and tech incubators in Chicago but was often the only woman of color. As she told Blavity, “For me it was really strange that in my day-to-day work I’m working with all of these minority students to expose them to entrepreneurship and to encourage them to enter these spaces … But, even when I’m in these spaces, I’m not seeing many people that look like me.”
Britney launched The Gray Matter Experience in 2016. Her organization offers a 12 week program for high school students to learn how to create, launch, and run start-ups that positively impact their communities, especially the South and West sides of Chicago. Participants hear from local business leaders and have the opportunity to gain access to area internships and mentorships.
We talked to Britney during our recent trip to Chicago, and she told us that “5G to me is innovation.” She went on to say that 5G will “really allow us to spread our mission more broadly and really expand our services to students outside the City of Chicago.”
Check out the latest video from Faces of 5G and then click here to learn more about The Gray Matter Experience.
