Pharrell’s mission is to give back to his community. He’s created a private school in his hometown of Virginia for low income families and now his non profit, Black Ambition (launched in December), is partnering with luxury fashion house Chanel. Black Ambition was created to bridge the gaps to success for Black and Lantinx entrepreneurs in the fields of tech, design, healthcare and consumer product start-ups. By investing capital and resources in high-growth startups. For their part, Chanel has crafted a mentorship program focused on this mission. There are two initiatives, part one, started on June 11 with “Women Who Lead” , a virtual panel comprised of powerhouse women that included actress and entrepreneur, Tracee Ellis Ross; co-founder of Medley, Edith Cooper; Co founder of Good American, Emma Grede; and Co founder and partner of Imaginary ventures, Nathalie Massenet. The topics discussed-Building culture, the leadership path, the importance of mentorship and the explosion of opportunities for Back and Latinix entrepreneurs. Part two, will include a series of interactive mentorship workshops for the Black Ambition finalists. To leverage the expertise of the Chanel leadership community and their experts, to build strong successful brands. “I’ve had many mentors.” says Pharell in an Instagram video created for the program. “I learn from their successes as much as I learn from their failures. And one of the most important things I learned is that, their losses are more so lessons. It just teaches you what you shouldn’t do is just as important as what you should do.” Go to Black Ambition for more information on the program.
