Bronx Brilliance, Thursday, Nov 5. RSVP

CEA Fellows

Meet our CEA Fellows: High-potential, community-focused leaders selected for their ability to drive measurable impact, including revenue growth and job creation, and their commitment to strengthening The Bronx.

Cohort 3

The five fellows selected for Cohort 3 are leaders committed to strengthening their community while scaling their businesses.

Anthony Ramirez II

Anthony Ramirez II

From The Bronx

Lifelong Bronx native co-founded From The Bronx to dramatically improve the image of The Bronx and share its rich culture and history globally through original positive Bronx-themed merchandise.

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Melissa Groneveldt

Melissa Groneveldt

Monshe

Born and raised in the Bronx, inspired by her personal weight loss journey to produce gluten-free, sugar-free, keto-friendly cookies that combine indulgence with wellness.

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Gregory "Shotti" Morgan Jr.

Gregory "Shotti" Morgan Jr.

LR2 Photo Studio

Built LR2 Photo Studio to provide Black creatives access to professional space, resources, and mentorship with affordable studio rentals and free educational programs.

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Terese Brown

Terese Brown

Terese Sydonna

Immigrated from Jamaica to the Bronx at age seven, founded a contemporary womenswear brand focused on authenticity, confidence, and representation with bold, sustainable attire.

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Desmond West

Desmond West

pinStripe IT LLC

Founded pinStripe IT to offer managed IT services to small businesses and non-profits, providing unlimited, full-service support with a high-touch, boutique IT experience.

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Cohort 2

Our second cohort of fellows continue to make waves in the Bronx entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Ibrahima Badji

Ibrahima Badji

Good Vibes

First-generation HEOP graduate from Mott Haven who founded an innovative college access program serving more than 3,000 students, 90% of whom go to college debt-free through individualized support and financial aid guidance.

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Anthony Epps

Anthony Epps

Eppsolutely Clean

Founded in 2020 and built from hands-on cleaning into an MBE, DBE, and SBE certified facility operations company serving commercial, residential, and government clients across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.

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Howard Lindsay

Howard Lindsay

Pat's Exotic Beverages

Came home to the Bronx after nearly three decades in financial services to lead Pat's Exotic Beverages, the small-batch Caribbean juice company his mother founded in 1999.

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Yasiris Ortiz

Yasiris Ortiz

Spin & Learn

Dominican table tennis champion who has brought her sport to more than 12,000 students across 45+ New York City public schools, and founded the Spin & Learn Foundation to expand access beyond schools.

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Kevin Shabazz

Kevin Shabazz

Greene Developers

Bronx-born developer transforming vacant and underutilized land into sustainable, community-centered developments, while preparing the next generation to build, own, and lead through education, credentials, and paid internships.

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Cohort 1

Meet the graduates from our inaugural cohort who continue to make a positive impact in The Bronx. These trailblazing entrepreneurs laid the foundation for our program.

Olga L. Perez

Olga L. Perez

MVP Lifeguards

Aquatics professional of more than 25 years who founded MVP Lifeguards in 2017, building a pathway from learning to swim to lifeguard certification and a first job, with more than 500 lifeguard employment opportunities created across New York City.

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Triciah Claxton and Alanna Ramirez

Triciah Claxton and Alanna Ramirez

Loc'd and Lit

Lifelong friends who founded a Bronx-born, community-centered bookselling business in 2020, bringing pop-up bookstores, book clubs, author events, and free book giveaways to readers through a bookstore without walls.

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Ralph Rolle

Ralph Rolle

Soul Snacks

Grew up in the Bronx River Houses, spent four decades on drums for artists from Nile Rodgers and CHIC to Aretha Franklin, and founded Soul Snacks, a Bronx cookie company built on his grandmother's century-old recipes.

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Millie Carbajal

Millie Carbajal

M&M 24-Hr Daycare

Founded M&M 24-Hr Daycare in the Bronx in 2010 so families could count on safe, high-quality childcare at any hour, and now brings more than 15 years of early childhood experience to Bronx Community Board 4, the AECI board, and CEA's board.

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Maloney Brothers

Maloney Brothers

Sol Cacao

Born in Trinidad and Tobago and raised in New York City, three brothers founded the Bronx's first bean-to-bar chocolate factory, crafting single-origin craft chocolate from just three ingredients.

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Interested in a Future Cohort?

Cohort 4 applications are closed. Join our mailing list to hear first when Cohort 5 opens. We're looking for Bronx entrepreneurs who have been running their business for at least a year and have made over $75k in total sales.

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