Kyle
As a youngster growing up almost Asian (Hawaiian) I sort of fell into a minority category. As my career in media, first in radio and then later in tech media, flourished I was no longer in the minority. Especially in the tech scene. However in our plight to cover startups “everywhere else” we also try and highlight those startups that are women owned, black owned and latino owned, because those entrepreneurs are underserved.
In fact, when we did office hours a little over a week ago in Memphis Tennessee we met the co-founders of BioNannovation a startup currently participating in the zeroto510 incubator in Memphis. The companies co-founders, Charleson Bell and Andre T Stevenson are both in their twenties and black. Both of them appeared similar to any of the other young black guys I have hung out with near my home in Baltimore. However they may both have been the smartest two guys I have ever had the chance of meeting. Bell, a Phd candidate, had discovered a nanoparticle that could change the way doctors find, track and treat virus’ and infection and Stevenson had discovered the biomarkers for cancer, before it manifests. (see what I mean BRILLIANT). Now these two on smarts alone should have no problem bringing their ideas to market, but that’s not the case for everyone.
Take another good new friend of ours, Harold, his startup Yadoog is one of the best photo-sharing ideas we’ve seen in years. Harold is really friendly, outgoing and has ideas pouring out of his brain at a mile a minute. He’s also in his twenties and black, and admittedly a little rough around the edges. He’s got another great startup as well.
This is where Aaron Gray and his Atlanta based startup “The Legacy Movement” comes into play. Gray, like many
Aaron Gray founder of Atlanta based Legacy Movement
entrepreneurs, fell into the world of corporate America early in life but had an itch that needed to be fixed. Actually, two itches, that Gray is hoping to solve with one startup.
The Legacy Movement, he hopes, will become the Linked In for anyone who wants to do deals. Anyone who wants to buy or sell a company, or launch a new company will come to the Legacy Movement they way you go to LinkedIN for talent.
His second itch, helping the underserved entrepreneur ecosystem in America, will also be solved by the same startup.
Gray filled us in on The Legacy Movement, check out the interview below:
What is The Legacy Movement? What Problem Does It Solve?
I started the company to change the conversation about success and entrepreneurship in under-served communities. Our global economy is in crisis, and people are starving for knowledge, tools, resources, and people to help them improve their economic situations. The Legacy Movement addresses this problems by providing all of the above via our technology platform and access to an ecosystem of individuals and organizations who have similar goals. A good way to draw an analogy for our technology platform is that we plan to be the LinkedIn for doing deals. Anyone interested in buying a company, selling a company, or starting a new venture, (for-profit or non-profit), this will be the premier destination for you.
Additionally, we have a focus on under-served communities: women, military veterans, blacks, Latinos, and immigrant communities. Our platform will be open to EVEYRONE, but we want to focus on increasing entrepreneurship and business ownership in communities that are sometimes not direct beneficiaries of mass amounts of wealth being created in the U.S.
What’s great about today’s economic climate is that crisis and recession often create opportunity. There are THOUSANDS of business and social problems that need to be solved and emerging entrepreneurs are jumping at the bit to create profitable businesses models around solving those problems. Innovators and innovating on innovation and it is truly exciting. The opportunities are ENDLESS. The cost to start a business is now cheaper than ever, and funding has become more accessible to the average person. However, one has to know where to look. Additionally, being part of an ecosystem of like-minded peers and those with experience who have had success and failure as entrepreneurs offers extreme value, and our platform will offer that. We plan to offer not just access to capital, but also access to education and people who can help one achieve their goals.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
Aaron Gray is the founder of The Legacy Movement. He has over ten years experience in finance and technology. Before taking the entrepreneurial plunge, he worked at Global Payments as Director, Corporate Development and helps drive their domestic and international corporate development and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) initiatives for worldwide expansion and growth.
Prior to joining Global Payments, Aaron served as Manager, Strategic Business Development / Corporate Strategy for The Home Depot. He executed extensive research on market trends to identify key issues and their impact on core business strategies as well as provided analysis and recommendations on strategic business and operational initiatives to the executive leadership team.
Prior to business school, Aaron worked as a venture capital associate at Greycroft Partners focusing on digital media, consumer internet, and mobile start-ups. He has also served as Business Development Analyst for Fandango, Inc. where he performed detailed merger analyses and through his competitive intelligence and identification of strong strategic partners, was responsible for the execution of major deals for the company. Aaron began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst for Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he evaluated strategic alternatives for clients across the technology, media and telecom sectors.
Aaron graduated with honors from Florida A&M University and has a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Where are you based?
We are currently based in Atlanta, but we will be expanding rapidly to other cities around the country. Through our customer discovery process, we have generated phenomenal interest from academic institutions and high profile politicians around the country that want to bring our movement directly to their constituencies.
What is the startup culture like where you are based?
The startup culture in Atlanta is alive and well. We have tons of momentum and are very well positioned to become the Silicon Valley of the Southeast. Given the low cost of living, high caliber of undergraduate and graduate students at various schools in the city, and outstanding technology infrastructure we have in place, Atlanta will be a key launching pad for thousands of entrepreneurs for years to come. I am not going ANYWHERE!
What is one challenge that you’ve overcome in the startup process?
Funding. I made the conscious choice to bootstrap the venture and focus on obtaining CUSTOMERS instead of investors and it has worked to my advantage.
Who are your mentors and role models?
I have had several mentors over the course of my career. I rarely ever call them out by name, but they know who they are. My role models include my mother, who taught me to love and respect everyone while following the word of God and being a disciple of Christ. Another one of my role models is my grandfather, who passed away when after my first semester of college. He, along with my mother who was a lifetime educator, taught me not just the importance of a formal education, but true knowledge and how it can change your trajectory in life. He also inspired me to travel the world (he was a military veteran) and influenced me to get to know and LEARN from all different types of peoples. Building authentic relationships was integral to his life, and it has been to mine as well. My “business” role model is Steve Jobs, for he was the greatest CEO to ever walk the Earth. No other person could disrupt six industries in just 55 years. Truly amazing and he will forever have my respect. His passing inspired me to push forward and try to make a significant impact on the world.
What’s one thing the world doesn’t know about you or The Legacy Movement
The world doesn’t know that I have been building an extensive nationwide network of our four key stakeholders for the last ten years. Not because I always had the idea for this business, but because I knew I would be starting this business, but because I always have had a thirst for knowledge. I enjoyed meeting other people and establishing authentic relationships. I had a knack for meeting people from all types of industries and kept in touch with them because they were great sources of learning for me, in addition to being good friends and colleagues.
What’s next for your startup?
Flawless execution of crowd funding campaign (August 2012) ßPlease click here to donate
Linkage:
Check out LegacyMovement.net beta opens in August
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