Teaching eCommerce to Inner-City Teens

"If you give a person a fish, you feed them for a day. If you teach them how to fish, you feed them for a lifetime..." 

Over a decade ago, I began volunteering for a non-profit organization called the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) who, for the last 30 years, has taught business planning and entrepreneurship to inner-city teenagers. I embedded myself in classrooms in South Central LA, Inglewood & Lawndale for 4 years and saw first hand the power that education, mentorship and consistency had on these kid's futures. I went from a simple classroom speaker in 2010 to the 2022 NFTE Bay Area Board Chair today, and I can tell you first hand that what NFTE does, fundamentally alters the trajectory of kids lives forever...

During my tenure with NFTE, I also noticed a major gap and missed opportunity that was occurring after kids graduated that I couldn't get out of my mind. I kept asking myself: "what happens AFTER the kids go through NFTE and actually want to start their businesses? Where do they go to learn the x's and o's of doing so?"

That question haunted me for years -- until now. 

Introducing... STEALTH IMPACT LAB -- our own 501(c)3 non-profit organization specifically designed to teach the fundamentals of eCommerce to inner-city teens so that they can make their business dreams a business reality!

How it Works:

Twice a year, we will run a 12 week program with 3-5 economically underserved teenagers who will be put through our online "Million Dollar MVP" academy where they will learn how to take their eCommerce idea and make it a market reality. Each student will receive this course free of charge in conjunction with a $5,000 cash grant from Stealth Impact Lab to create real brand identities, real Shopify stores, real Facebook / Instagram ads and real market results. Additionally, each young entrepreneur will be paired with a real world digital marketing & ecommerce mentor who will help guide them through the journey, step-by-step.

The goal of each cohort of kiddos is to complete a real time market MVP (minimum-viable-product) feasibility study that teaches them the skills they need to develop their eCommerce idea, adapt to the market realities and to launch their own brand online. 

We fundamentally believe in the "teach a person how to fish" model -- and Stealth Impact Lab is exactly that!

Our Traction: 

We have already funded our first Alpha Cohort of three former NFTE Students who start their 12 week course Feb 15, 2022. You can see more about those amazing kiddos here: https://www.stealthventurelabs.com/impact-lab

Our Ask:

This month (Feb 2022) we are looking to raise an additional $15,000 (with a $15,000 match from Stealth Venture Labs, Inc, for a toal of $30k) to fund the next cohort of 5-6 kids, called the Beta Cohort, which will start Fall 2022 and we would LOVE your help in achieving our goal! 

We are asking for anyone and everyone in our network to support us and our cause in whatever manner they can -- whether it be $5 or $500 -- whatever makes sense for you. And, if you can make your donation a monthly giving pledge, we would be even more grateful as we're looking to scale this program even more and your on-going, monthly support will help in that tremendously! 

Our Match:

For every dollar donated, Stealth Venture Labs will match $1 to $1! 

All donations are 100% tax deductible and easy to do by texting SVL to "707070", using the form here, or going to https://www.pledge.to/impact-lab 

Our Gratitude:

Is for you... this fundraiser was ONLY sent to family, friends, team members and others who are directly connected to Stealth in some fashion. We are purposefully asking for support of those around us to start (instead of grant writing or going out to larger foundations) so that we can go slow, share our inspiration with you all and build from there. 

If you have any non-monetary resources you'd like to contribute -- like your time, connections or knowledge, we'd LOVE to work with you! Please just email our Executive Director, Norma LaRosa at norma@stealthventurelabs.com and we can schedule a time to connect! 

On behalf of the entire team here at Stealth Impact Lab we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts and look forward to making an impact with you for years to come! 

To learn more about Stealth Impact Lab, please visit: https://www.stealthventurelabs.com/impact-lab

Enthusiastically,

Brent Freeman
Founder & President
Stealth Venture Labs, Inc.
Stealth Impact Lab 501(c)3