This is the true definition of giving back.
Bryant delivered the news as he spoke as the commencement speaker at the HBCU’s fall graduation on Dec. 14 in Albany, Georgia.
While Bryant isn’t an Albany State alumnus, his philanthropic work pushes toward the need for more Black-owned businesses in the world.
“In every community, there’s a Steve Jobs. In every community, there’s an Oprah Winfrey. In every community, there’s a hero waiting to be born, but somebody’s got to pull that out of this community and shine a light on them,” Bryant said. “I mean, that’s really the whole point of power. You gather it so you give it away.”
All of the graduates will receive financial support and payment systems free of charge, along with a free business plan and time to sit down with both a lawyer and accountant.
“They will also get a business manager and an e-commerce executive,” Bryant added.
It was revealed that other venture capitalist firms like Andreessen Horowitz and SoftBank “made multimillion-dollar pledges to invest in Black entrepreneurs.”
The opportunity to uplift the next generation of entrepreneurs is one of the reasons Dr. Lawrence M. Drake, II, ASU’s interim president, invited Bryant to speak at the commencement ceremonies. He said there was a time in his life when no one believed or invested in him.
“John and I are good friends. We’ve known each other for a while. I also thought he could relate to the audience effectively. He and I both share a journey that’s similar to many of those students that are sitting there today,” Drake said. “So when we were looking for the kind of person that we wanted to ignite and be a person that our scholars would remember, John certainly came to mind.”
There is still work to be done on the criteria to determine which Albany grads will receive the grant; however, GPA, business goals, and an essay will be taken into consideration. The criteria will be confirmed after the holiday break.
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Source: Black Enterprise
