Black tech entrepreneur gets $ 1 million boost from Pharrell Williams | Entertainment


Entrepreneur Justin Turk knew his startup was special, but the $ 1 million award from Grammy-winning singer and producer Pharrell Williams was shocking.

Williams announced the winner of its Black Ambition Awards competition on Tuesday – and Turk and business partner Andre Davis received national attention.

Williams’ nonprofit was founded in December to help black and Latin business owners close the wealth gap through entrepreneurship.

Livegistics co-founders Turk and Davis took home a top prize of $ 1 million. Detroit-based entrepreneurs run a cloud-based hardware management software company. This eliminates the need for heavy civil engineering and demolition paperwork. The company also provides data and metrics that construction professionals can use for more efficiency.

Livegistics also helps the environment by eliminating large amounts of paper each year, helping communities accelerate the eradication of devastation from cities and neighborhoods.

“We knew there was something special, but I don’t think we would go for a million bucks, but when that happened you said, ‘Wow, we’re only a million. It’s like earning the dollar, ”Tark said.

But the 40-year-old said he didn’t know that joy and pain can coexist at the same time.

Success can be bittersweet

The day he learned that a tech startup had won the grand prize, his stepfather passed away before sharing the news.

“All 24 hours were the greatest and worst moments that were ever connected, where there was the greatest business success ever and the worst day of life in 24 hours,” Turk said. Said. “It’s weird. Sometimes I feel guilty for being so happy about what’s going on, but I know he would have been excited.

Turk, who co-founded the company with Davis three years ago, said he saw a team of medical professionals try to revive his beloved wife’s father hours after learning of victory. .. He was a veteran who loved architecture. And they shared the same passion for construction.

The Turks said they were burying their stepfather in a private ceremony on Saturday instead of having a party for friends and family.

“He would have been crazy about what was going on. If he could have seen all of this it would have blown him away, ”Turk said. “He was walking around the city of Detroit and looking at the buildings himself. This is only his decade.

The friendship between Turk and Davis goes back decades. According to Davis, the two met in elementary school when they were five years old. Then they were roommates at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. CFO Davis said becoming a business partner had never been a goal, but it made sense.

“He’s in almost every special moment in my life,” Davis said. “We not only solve the most important reason (cash flow) why construction companies go bankrupt, but we also reduce the amount of work and make life easier for clients. “

Davis, 41, said he worked as an outsourced CFO to clients in the Metro Detroit area at Financial One. For ten years he started and operated his own accounting and financial services business, engaging in the non-profit sector and giving back. He wants to encourage other black and minority entrepreneurs who are about to start a business to take a leap in faith.

“Today’s thoughts, supported by today’s efforts, are one more step towards your dream of tomorrow. Justin is awesome. His background is the basis of what I think of as a unicorn, ”says Davis. I did. “A third generation minority business owner who understands all aspects of a large construction project on a professional level. He also has a degree in computer science and speaks the language of tech geeks. I can’t find Justin Turk wandering. Everyday. “

Together, the hybrid team won the grand prize by beating approximately 1,700 applicants. Williams, who announced the initiative in December, congratulated the team on Twitter on Tuesday, saying, “We are very inspired by you and can’t wait to see how you are changing the world.” Mentionned.

Turk and Davis said the win was bigger than they were. It’s about opening the door to the next person.

“It’s not just the cash prize that wins this competition,” Turk said. “When we first entered the tech startup world as two black entrepreneurs, we didn’t know how to navigate that space.”

The Turks have not only learned to sail, but “to dominate the industry which recently decided to grant access to people of color.”

Victory breaks the open door. And Turk has another goal.

“I want to create a guest list, not just an invitation,” he said.

Black tech entrepreneur gets $ 1 million boost from Pharrell Williams | Entertainment

Source Link Black Tech Entrepreneur Gets $ 1 Million Boost From Pharrell Williams | Entertainment

About Mark A. Tomlin

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